Popular Southern California cafe chain files for bankruptcy

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Set us as preferred A popular Southern California chain known for its brunch has filed for bankruptcy, becoming the latest victim of a tough-to-navigate retail market.The Encino-based upscale casual restaurant chain Marmalade Cafe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept.

2.In the filing, Marmalade Cafe Chief Executive Juan Salcedo listed the cafe’s estimated assets and liabilities at between $1 million and $10 million and said that it owes more than $1 million to Gilmore Farmers Market, US Foods, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration and others.As of the filing date, Marmalade Cafe was operating locations in El Segundo, Malibu, Sherman Oaks and Westlake Village.According to Marmalade Cafe’s website, the chain’s original outpost opened in Santa Monica in 1990.

The 1,400-square-foot store had limited seating and offered a full bakery, salads and entrees.Three years after the Santa Monica location opened, the cafe introduced a full-service location in Malibu with 100 seats.

Over the years, the restaurant evolved from a grab-and-go cafe to offering private dining rooms for patrons and catering for L.A.businesses such as Boeing, Mattel, CBS and Warner Bros.

Studios.But this year, Marmalade Cafe has been closing locations.In a July social media post, the cafe announced it was closing its location at the Commons at Calabasas after nearly three decades of operation.“Unfortunately, the ongoing construction throughout the shopping center has resulted in a devastating decline in business,” the restaurant wrote in a statement.“Despite our best efforts to weather these challenges, and after seeking rent relief from our landlord during this extended construction period, the landlord declined to help.

With construction expected to continue for an extended period, we simply cannot sustain the fin...