The COVID-19 pandemic was not kind to so many businesses, but the restaurant world felt the brunt of it. With people not able to go out and eat it forced many places to offer to-go options as well as having to buy equipment to allow both employees and customers to go into their stores safely. It left many stores in a financial situation they couldn’t escape.
While some stores were able to make it through and come out on the other side, others were not so lucky. One of those unlucky chain restaurants was Boston Market. They had already faced hardships leading up to the pandemic but after COVID hit they were left with only 27 locations around the US.
End of an era
At one time Boston Market could be found around the Capital Region. The one that I would frequent most often was their location in University Plaza off of Western Ave. What I liked about Boston Market was a great alternative to traditional fast food. Instead of fried chicken, burgers or tacos they offered fresh rotisserie chicken with vegetables. It felt like Thanksgiving when you went there.
In 2024 the owner of Boston Market attempted to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but was denied two times. The company, who was once part owned by McDonald’s, owed a lot of money to employees and was even sued by their chicken supplier, US Foods, for $11 million.
Those hardships forced 95% of their locations to close by 2022. Now in 2025, despite an uphill battle and continued financial trouble Boston Market is trying again. They’ve announced they’re going to open several locations around Western New York and one of them is already open in Amherst…