King's Restaurants suddently closes five locations.

[TheFugitive]

King's Restaurants, a local Pittsburgh diner chain (basically a Denny's clone)
suddenly and without warning closes 5 locations Sunday evening.

http://patch.com/pennsylvania/dormont-brookline/kings-family-restaurants-closes-five-pittsburgh-area-locations

This included my mom's favorite location in Heidelberg, PA.
Such events can never indicate anything good is happening with the company.

[JimSawhill]

King's Restaurants, a local Pittsburgh diner chain (basically a Denny's clone)
suddenly and without warning closes 5 locations Sunday evening.

http://patch.com/pennsylvania/dormont-brookline/kings-family-restaurants-closes-five-pittsburgh-area-locations

This included my mom's favorite location in Heidelberg, PA.
Such events can never indicate anything good is happening with the company.

How many locations do they have? Are they a franchises?

[TheFugitive]

According to news reports they have 25 locations after these closings.
All within about 40 miles of Pittsburgh.  All company owned so far as I know.

They were founded by local restaurateur and businessman Hartley King
in the 1960's.   He sold the company a few years ago to a venture capital fund.
King's is also the local franchise holder for Sonic Drive-Ins.

The Heidelberg closing surprises me as it was in a shopping plaza
that includes a very busy Walmart store.

[TheFugitive]

I drove by the Heidelberg King's location yesterday, and it had
mysteriously reopened.  I wonder if this was all a gambit to hardball
some landlords on their rent?

[BillyGr]

A couple things:

1. Seems to be something to do with the new(er) ownership having issues?

2. The chain came about as the first location had been a Pig 'n Go which lasted only for a couple months.  It was then offered to Isaly's for their then new Sweet William chain (which was very similar, from the descriptions, to a Friendly's) and when they declined the property owner decided to run it himself - that owner being Hartley King.  Also the reasoning for their Hartley's Choice ice cream - he had asked Isaly's to make it for him but they didn't want to help the competition.

(P.S. - When the book about Isaly was written in 2001, it suggests that Kings had 35 locations, so it looks like they stayed close to that until this year, if the current 25 figure is correct).