Clover Food Lab warns closure

Clover Food Lab told Massachusetts it expects to shut down on May 29 unless it finds a buyer. (mass.gov) The Cambridge-based vegetarian chain said all jobs would be eliminated on that date, with about 182 employees affected. The March 30 notice said some workers could stay up to 60 days longer for closing-related administrative work. (mass.gov) Clover told Boston.com the filing was a legal requirement tied to a possible failed sale, not a final shutdown decision. The company said it is seeking a buyer and is “optimistic” about continuing under new ownership. (boston.com) The chain currently operates 11 restaurants, plus a meal-box delivery business and catering, according to the company’s statement to Boston.com. Clover’s own site was still promoting restaurant orders and meal boxes on April 17. (boston.com) (cloverfoodlab.com) The notice landed after Clover’s 2023 bankruptcy filing, when the company blamed rising costs, slow sales, and trouble raising investor money. Boston.com reported the company later stabilized and emerged with only two fewer restaurants than it had before that filing. (boston.com) Clover has been a fixture in Boston-area vegetarian fast casual since founder Ayr Muir started it as a food truck in 2008. Boston Magazine recently described the brand as having about a dozen locations around the city. (boston.com) (bostonmagazine.com) Massachusetts requires employers with 50 or more employees to give 60 days’ notice before a plant closing or mass layoff. The state says the WARN process is meant to give workers and communities time to prepare. (mass.gov) If Clover cannot complete a sale by May 29, the filing says the layoffs would hit workers in Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Sudbury, Westford, and Burlington. For now, the company is still operating while it looks for a buyer. (mass.gov) (cloverfoodlab.com)