To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily FS Insider. Florida-based Yardbird Southern Table & Bar filed for bankruptcy on Sunday with plans to sell its business after expansion costs, restaurant-level operating challenges, pandemic disruptions, and mounting debt strained its finances. The polished-casual concept currently operates company-owned restaurants in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, along with licensed locations in Las Vegas and Singapore.
The company employs approximately 508 people across its corporate and licensed restaurants. Yardbird plans to continue operating during the bankruptcy process as it pursues a going-concern sale. The company filed several first-day motions seeking permission to maintain payroll and employee benefits, pay certain vendors, continue customer programs, and use existing cash systems.
The filing lists approximately $24.8 million in funded debt and an estimated $24.2 million in unsecured claims. Brightwood Loan Services and related lenders are owed roughly $13.3 million under a credit agreement backed by first-priority liens on nearly all of Yardbird's assets. City National Bank of Florida is owed nearly $8.4 million through a Main Street Lending Program loan, and approximately $3.1 million is outstanding under an agreement with restaurant financing and rewards platform inKind.
Yardbird was founded in Miami Beach in 2011 and became known for fried chicken, Southern-inspired dishes, weekend brunch, bourbon dinners, and an extensive cocktail and wine program. The business opened a licensed Las Vegas restaurant in 2015. A private equity sponsor invested in the company in 2017 as Yardbird moved into a period of expansion.
The chain subsequently opened restaurants in Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Singapore. The sponsor became the sole owner of Yardbird Group in 2025 after separating from the company's founders. The expansion required substantial spending on leases, restaurant construction, architecture, and design.
Yardbird took on additional debt to finance those openings and related capital expenditures. The COVID pandemic complicated the growth effort by closing dining rooms, reducing sales, accelerating reliance on delivery, and changing traffic patterns in several urban markets. Performance eventually diverged across Yardbird's portfolio.
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