Restaurant chain Bennigan's has had to lay off or furlough up to 70 percent of its staff because of the coronavirus crisis, and Paul Mangiamele, Bennigan's chairman and CEO, told Cheddar Thursday that the decision was 'heartbreaking.'
"We've been around 44 years now… we've been hit hard," Mangiamele said. "In fact, we got sucker punched."
Bennigan's has kept necessary cooking staff and other positions so the casual dining chain can pivot operations amid stay-at-home orders around the country.
"The spirit and the iconic nature of our brand has created this ingenious way of operating now," Mangiamele said. "We're a grocery store, we're doing adult cocktails, we're doing carry-out and delivery."
During the Great Recession, Bennigan's had to file for bankruptcy and close all 150 of its corporate-owned restaurants. Its count of 138 franchises dwindled down to the 15 U.S. locations remaining today.
Mangiamele, along with his wife, purchased the chain in 2015.
"We're a resilient species. We're a resilient brand," Mangiamele said. "If we can come through a Chapter 7 [bankruptcy], we're certainly going to come through this pandemic."
Veetahl Eilat-Raichel, Founder and CEO of Sorbet, shares how employees can harness the value of their time off – and how companies can use PTO to employees’ benefit.
Brooke May, Managing Partner at Evans May Wealth, weighs in on how the market is expected to perform through the rest of 2024, plus why she’s still bullish on tech but cautious when it comes to financials.
Pete Nicoletti, Global CISO at Check Point, explains why it’s so difficult to legislate against A.I. disinformation and why it’s a concern going into the 2024 election.
Michelle Freyre, Clinique Global Brand President, discusses the company's latest ventures and why skin advice should always come from a trusted source.
Jason Tartick, small business expert and TurboTax Live Partner (who you may recognize from 'The Bachelorette'), shares his tips for making sure your taxes are flawless this year.
Christine Short, Head of Research, Global Corporate Events at Wall Street Horizon, a TMX Company, breaks down the biggest takeaways from companies’ quarterly results.
