BuzzBrews Goes Belly Up

BuzzBrews has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

The local breakfast and brunch cafe chain is down to two locations bearing that name, one on Commerce Street in Deep Ellum and a second off N. Central Expressway, just south of Fitzhugh Avenue. The company  filed for bankruptcy in the Northern District of Texas on Dec. 11, according to court records.

As of Friday, the website for BuzzBrews is also down.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy requires a debtor to liquidate its nonexempt assets to pay off its creditors instead of filing a plan to repay what they owe, according to UScourts.gov.

BuzzBrews' parent company, BuzzBrews Inc., lists between 50 and 99 creditors it owes money to with liabilities ranging between $500,000 and $1 million. The company also claimed it has no more than $50,000 in assets to pay off those debts.

The 24-hour local restaurant was founded in 2005 by Ernest Belmore, a classically trained French chef who once worked as the executive chef for the Old Warsaw and co-owned the Café Brazil coffeehouse and diner chain. Buzzbrews offered a round-the-clock menu with humorously named items like "Ribeye of the Tiger" steak, "Hippie Miss Piggie" braised pork butt and the "Harry Krishna" breakfast dish with crepes or egg whites filled with Jack and feta cheese. 

BuzzBrews started at its N. Central Expressway location, then expanded over the years to Lemmon Avenue and Victory Park as well as a brunch spot in Lakewood, but all of have since closed. Earlier this year, a new owner took over the BuzzBrews Deep Ellum location, adding a Chicago-style menu to its regular offerings and rebranding itself as BuzzBrews Chicago Style Food. The menu now includes Windy City staples like Italian beef sandwiches and deep dish pizza.