Hale and Hearty Soup Chain Closes All Locations Without Warning
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Hale and Hearty customers were recently served a sad surprise.
The New York City soup and sandwich chain suddenly closed "temporarily" on July 1 after 20 years of business. The brand had 16 locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island. The news was first reported by the New York Post on Sunday.
The restaurants announced their closures with signs on the storefront windows. "We will be closing all stores temporarily as of today July 1, 2022," read the note. "Thank you for your business and see you soon!"
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Hale and Hearty did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on the closure and potential reopening.
The shutdowns came without warning and many locations were recently posting about position openings on job boards.
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The New York Post reports that one Hale and Hearty location in Manhattan (111 Fulton St.) recently faced two lawsuits. One came from major food vendor Chefs Warehouse, which sued the restaurant for about $160,000 in unpaid invoices. The second lawsuit came from the location's landlord who sued the spot for $400,000 in unpaid rent. It's unclear if the lawsuits were the reason for the closure.
