FL-Based Hawkers Asian Restaurant Files For Bankruptcy: Reports

ORLANDO, FL — Hawkers Asian Street Food, which is headquartered in Orlando, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to prevent its lender from taking control of the business, multiple reports said.

Four best friends founded the company in 2011 with the goal of bringing “the bold flavors of Asian street food to the streets of Orlando,” according to the Hawkers website.

The restaurant chain has six Florida locations — two in Orlando, two in Jacksonville, one in Delray Beach and one in St. Petersburg.

There are also Hawkers restaurants in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. In total, there are 15 locations nationwide.

The company entered into a debt capital agreement with its lender in early 2023 with the goal of expanding the brand, Orlando Weekly said.

Hawkers said the bankruptcy filing was necessary to keep its lender from overstepping and trying to take over the brand.

“Over the course of the last 60 days, it became clear that the lender’s intentions are to gain control of the Company, despite Hawkers having never missed a payment since partnership inception,” the company said in a statement provided to ClickOrlando.com. “This filing will allow Hawkers to continue normal, uninterrupted operations and vendor payments while company control is re-stabilized in a way that secures a thriving and successful future for Hawkers and its dedicated team.”

In its bankruptcy filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, the chain’s parent company, Hawkers Holdings, and four affiliates listed $10 million to $50 million in assets and liabilities, according to The Street.

The company’s sales grew 18.5 percent in 2023, while same-store sales increased 26 percent, FSR Magazine reported.