STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Chicken might be America’s favorite protein, but this chicken chain is squawking its final clucks as storefronts dwindle to 22 locations nationwide.
The once widely loved Boston Market peaked in the 1990s according to TheStreet, boasting more than 1,200 brick-and-mortar shops at the time.
Since then, Boston Market slumped to 22 stores, though the precise figure of remaining locations is disputed, TheStreet wrote.
Just three years ago, in 2023, the chain had 300 locations. By the beginning of 2024, fewer than 30 remained.
Financial issues plague the chain — from unpaid bills to unpaid wages to unpaid taxes, the company owed millions of dollars in recent years. Their own headquarters were seized in Colorado after $300,000 worth of taxes were not paid, The Street said.
Not to mention the lawsuits that racked up against its owner, Jay Pandya, whose attempts to file personal bankruptcy floundered more than once.
Enter chain grocery stores like Costco: They, too, began to offer an affordable rotisserie chicken (Boston Market’s once white knight menu item).
To this day, if you visit Boston Market’s website, their rotisserie chicken is one of the first images seen.
The remaining Boston Market’s predominantly sit on the East Coast corridor. They are, as listed on the website, in the following locations:
Philadelphia, P.A.Shaker Heights, O.H.Union, N.J.Phoenixville, P.A.Lodi, N.J.Deptford, N.J.Hackensack, N.J.Melrose Park, I.L.Brooklyn, N.Y.Worcester, M.A.Ozone Park, N.Y.Newark, D.E.Houston, T.X.Fort Worth, T.X.Buffalo, N.Y.DeSoto, T.X.Duncanville, T.X.