SEATAC WASH. Skippers Seafood ‘n’ Chowder House chain have closed since its franchisor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December, including 22 shuttered in late June and early July by Skippers Inc., based here. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
At presstime, the nearly 40-year-old quick-service company, once a publicly held brand with more than 200 restaurants, was seeking buyers for its remaining 15 corporate units in Washington. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
A victim of rising seafood commodity costs and its own menu miscues and tax arrears, Skippers nonetheless appears able to continue as a greatly downsized brand. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
At least 12 formerly corporate branches in several states were acquired by licensees in deals concluded June 30. Newcastle Peak LLC, headed by former Skippers vice president Scott Way, bought 10 restaurants for $425,000, according to bankruptcy filings. Former district manager Doug Waters bought the Skippers in The Dalles, Ore., for an undisclosed price. Carol Chin and John Bang bought a unit in Puyallup, Wash. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
About 31 Skippers currently are operating, including those 12 units and four franchised outlets. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Skippers’ attorney James Day said four parties were interested in acquiring the company’s 15 units, in deals that could be reached by the end of the month. A buyer also is expected to obtain the brand’s licensing and franchising rights, which would leave the current entity Skippers Inc. defunct. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Calls to the corporate office in Seatac seeking comment were not returned. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Global Business Enterprises Inc. had proposed buying 15 Skippers for $1.35 million, but court filings indicate the deal fell through. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Northwest Gourmet Foods purchased rights to Skippers licensed packaged goods for $150,000. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Skippers’ bankruptcy was prompted largely by $2 million in unpaid employment taxes and penalties on $6.7 million in debt, Day said, adding that a former officer failed to inform the company’s owners that the taxes had not been paid from 2004 to 2005. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Skippers Inc. is owned by Seafood Restaurants Northwest LLC, which also owns the full-service Seattle Crab Co. restaurant in Seattle, which is not part of the bankruptcy. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Founded in Bellevue, Wash., in 1969, Skippers went private in 1989 and changed ownership several times in the past two decades. However, attempts to revive sales in recent years have failed. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
When the company filed for Chapter 11 last year, the Internal Revenue Service was one of the largest creditors listed among those owed a total of $6.7 million. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Ken Williams is the majority owner of parent Seafood Restaurants Northwest. His daughter, Kelly Barrett, who was listed as president of Skippers in bankruptcy filings, held a minority stake along with her husband, Mark Barrett. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Seafood Restaurants bought Skippers from Meridian Capital, which had acquired the chain in 1995 from Kansas-based National Pizza Co., which took the chain private in 1989, when NPC was Pizza Hut’s largest franchisee. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Former employees said a downturn in sales began after NPC’s years at the helm. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
“The general consensus is we were not very well-run by National Pizza, and we never recovered from that,” said Michael Haase, a former manager of a Skippers in Anchorage, Alaska. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
During that time, for example, the company switched to a new fish breading that was not well-received by customers, he said. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
“They later changed it back, but we had already lost a lot of customers,” he said. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Haase said other new products introduced more recently, such as an chipotle wrap sandwich, were poor sellers. Increasing seafood commodity costs resulted in steadily increasing menu prices, which also drove away guests. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
A fire in early 2006 forced the closure of the restaurant in Anchorage that Haase managed. The reopening plan was scrapped because the company couldn’t afford necessary building upgrades that insurance wouldn’t cover, though the location was profitable before the fire, he said. A second location in Anchorage, where Haase later worked, closed late last month as part of the bankruptcy court-supervised liquidation throughout the region that resulted in the layoff of what were believed to be hundreds of employees. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Other closed units were scattered throughout the five Western states where the chain operated. Attorney Day estimated that 20 to 22 of the units closed suddenly in late June and early July, causing a rash of local news reports about the brand’s supposed demise. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
Former district manager Waters was the only one of the three recent Skippers unit buyers who could be reached, but he declined to comment. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
The buyers of the 15 corporate outlets would be allowed to use the Skippers name, trade dress and other intellectual property at each location and within a 50-mile radius. Day forecast that a new owner of the Skippers brand could emerge from among the recent buyers of the 12 licensed units. —More than half the branches of the formerly 63-unit
