A big franchisee for the fast-casual eating chain Moe’s Southwest Grill has filed for Chapter 11, turning into the most recent chain restaurant operator to hunt chapter safety this yr.
The franchisee, High quality Fresca of Palm Seashore, Florida, is looking for to finish its leases at 16 areas, most of that are in Florida.
On the time of submitting, the franchisee operated 38 Moe’s Southwest Grill areas, down from 69 in 2021 after years of closing underperforming shops. If authorized, High quality Fresca would have 22 shops left in operation.
The petition was filed within the U.S. Chapter Court docket for the Southern District of Florida on August 4, 2026.
GoTo Meals, guardian firm of Moe’s Southwest Grill, shouldn’t be affected by the chapter. The chain has roughly 541 areas in the US, in accordance with its retailer locator.
High quality Fresca confronted monetary pressures
In court docket paperwork, High quality Fresca cited “trade headwinds, elevated prices, and declining income” as challenges which have depleted its liquidity and led to the chapter submitting.
A major lower in foot site visitors led to declining income, whereas rising meals and delivery prices and decreased labor availability have worsened money stream points.
The corporate hopes to shut its unprofitable areas and both restructure round its remaining shops, or promote them by means of a court-supervised course of.
Fourteen Florida areas, one in Alexandria, Virginia, and one in Brunswick, Georgia, are set to shut.
The efficient date of lease rejection listed in court docket paperwork is August 4 for each location. A number of areas seem to have closed throughout the final week and are not listed on the Moe’s Southwest Grill web site.
Not less than 10 areas are actually marked as completely closed on Google.
Quick Firm reached out to High quality Fresca and Moe’s Southwest Grill for remark. We’ll replace this story if we obtain a reply.
Which areas are closing?
Right here’s the complete checklist of shops set to shut as a part of the Chapter 11 chapter course of:
- 3499 Thomasville Highway, Unit 2, Tallahassee, Florida (Killearn Buying Heart)
- 2679 Gulf to Bay Boulevard, Suite 590, Clearwater, Florida (Clearwater Mall)
- 9301 Atlantic Boulevard, Suite 119, Jacksonville, Florida (Regency Sq. Mall)
- 2087 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes, Florida (Collier Commons)
- 1583 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, Florida
- 13238 North Dale Mabry Freeway, Tampa, Florida
- 7869 Heneska Loop, Alexandria, Virginia (Hilltop Village)
- 12464 S.R. 54, Odessa, Florida (The Shoppes at Trinity Lakes)
- 5668 Tuscola Boulevard, North Port, Florida (Tuscola Commons)
- 7335 Radio Highway, Naples, Florida
- 8192 Vacationer Heart Drive, College Park, Florida
- 10478 San Jose Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida
- 10205 Canal Crossing, Brunswick, Georgia
- 3832 Newberry Highway, Suite 1-E, Gainesville, Florida
- 10021 Gulf Heart Drive, Fort Myers, Florida
- 33086 US Freeway 19, Palm Harbor, Florida
Extra franchisees submitting for Chapter 11 chapter
High quality Fresca joins a rising checklist of restaurant franchisees which have filed for Chapter 11 chapter this yr.
For instance, franchisees of Carl’s Jr. and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety after going through related pressures, like rising meals and operational prices and diminished foot site visitors.
