Sizzler Files Bankruptcy Due To COVID A Year After Boise Closure

A popular U.S. restaurant chain known for its salad bar and steak has filed for bankruptcy protection this week after more than six decades of operation.

The California-based restaurant chain Sizzler has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week. The news broke from a number of different outlets, including MSN Money, which shared details on September 22. According to the news source, a sales decline resulting from the Coronavirus pandemic was cited as the main reason in a company release.

The news comes just days shy of one year since the Cole Road location in Boise announced it was closing its doors. That closure was due largely to road construction.

The restaurant first opened in 1958 in southern California, and is currently headquartered in Mission Viejo. The chain is known for its reasonably priced "craft salad bar," as well as U.S.D.A Choice Steaks. There are still dozens of Sizzler locations in operation mainly in the western United States, including one here in Twin Falls.

Time will tell what kind of an impact, if any, the decision will have on area locations. The Twin Falls Sizzler is still open at 719 Blue Lakes Boulevard North, within close proximity to Fred Meyer.

Having grown up in the California city that headquarters the company, I was disappointed to hear the news. Trips to Sizzler after football games with family and classmates were a regular occurrence in my younger years. My father, at age 84, still pulls a chair up at the Twin Falls location several times a month.