SEATAC Wash. As many as 22 Skipper’s Seafood ‘n’ Chowder House restaurants closed at the end of last month as part of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of parent Skipper’s Inc., based here.
But the nearly 40-year-old quick-service brand, known throughout the Pacific Northwest for its fried fish and chowder, will continue. At least 12 units of the quick-service chain were acquired in deals that closed June 30. Another 15 restaurants, all in Washington State, remain in operation by the company. Skipper’s attorney James Day said there are several interested parties and those 15 units are expected to be sold before the end of the month.
Abuyer is also expected to acquire the brand’s licensing and franchising rights, said Day. Four franchise locations are not expected to be impacted by the proceedings.
Newcastle Peak LLC, a company headed by former Skipper’s vice president Scott Way, bought 10 restaurants for $425,000, according to bankruptcy filings. Former district manager Doug Waters bought the Skipper’s in The Dallas, Ore., for an undisclosed price, and Carol Chin and John Bang bought a unit in Puyallup, Wash.
Another potential buyer, Global Business Enterprises Inc., proposed buying 15 stores for $1.35 million, but court filings indicate the deal fell through. Northwest Gourmet Foods purchased rights to licensed packaged goods for $150,000.
Skipper’s Inc., operated 59 locations when the company filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2006, largely because of $2 million in unpaid employment taxes and penalties on $6.7 million in debt. Day said a former officer was aware the taxes had not been paid between 2004 and 2005 but had not informed company owners.
Skipper’s Inc. was wholly owned by Seafood Restaurants Northwest LLC, which also owns the full-service restaurant Seattle Crab Co. in Seattle, which is not part of the bankruptcy.
