Tuesday, April 7, 2020

[THAT'S ALL FOLKS] Folks Southern Kitchen Files For Bankruptcy, Plans to Liquidate

The three remaining Folks Southern Kitchen restaurants closed March 23 which the company said was temporary, but new information suggests will be permanent.  Folks, like other restaurants that have closed in recent weeks, was likely not the most financially stable and the pandemic seemingly accelerated the inevitable.  The company filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in the Northern District of Georgia Monday.  

The AJC Tuesday afternoon was first to report on the bankruptcy filing, but strangely did not reference it as chapter 7, a total liquidation, which it is.  Unlike a chapter 11 filing, where the company seeks to reorganize and continue as a going concern, a chapter 7 filing basically means the company has no prospect of returning to normal operations and will instead have its assets, including its intellectual property, liquidated.  

The company reported liabilities of between $500,000 and $1 million, and less than $50,000 in assets.  Its creditors include American Express, Georgia Power and US Foods.  

Folks Inc., with headquarters in Buford, has in recent years closed several Atlanta area restaurants including those in Douglasville, Gainesville, McDonough, and most recently, this past December in Marietta.

The restaurant is known for its southern fare and economical prices such as its three course meal for only $9.99, with what they claimed was Atlanta's best fried chicken.

Signage at the Woodstock restaurant located just off Highway 92 confirms that the closure is, in fact, permanent.  The Tucker restaurant, located near the intersection of Northlake Parkway and LaVista Road, still displays a sign indicating that it's only temporarily closed, despite sources telling ToNeTo Atlanta that the property Folks occupies is already being marketed.  The Hiram restaurant, the newest of the three, also displays signage that its closure is temporary.  The Folks facebook page, unlike most other business pages, has not been updated in more than three and a half years!  

Folks traces its history to 1978. 

As the Folks website tells it: 

"Folks, Inc.® was started in 1978 by Richard J. Pratt and Richard W. King with our first restaurant being in Chamblee, Georgia. Folks opened its doors December 2nd, 1978 and has been selling Atlanta's "Best Fried Chicken & Iced Tea" ever since."  

In reality, that origin story is only half of the actual story.      The first Po’ Folks restaurant opened in Anderson, South Carolina in 1975. The restaurant's name was inspired by the 1961 country music hit Po' Folks by artist Bill Anderson. Entrepreneurs Richard Pratt and Richard King became franchisees of the budding chain in 1978 when they opened in Chamblee.    

In 1988, after peaking at more than 100 restaurants, the parent company filed for bankruptcy.  Pratt and King's Atlanta area restaurants were thriving, so they rebranded as Folks [eventually adding Southern Kitchen], and continued to operate.    

The former Folks in Marietta 

The Atlanta area operators once had a dozen or so units.  Among the early locations were those on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna, Alpharetta Highway in Roswell, Buford Highway in what is now Brookhaven, and in Chamblee on Peachtree Industrial, where an Advance Auto Parts operates today.

Like Folks, Old Hickory House was once a multi-state, multi-unit southern restaurant chain.  Today, there is just one remaining, a stone's throw from the Tucker Folks, at 2202 Northlake Parkway.  

Are you surprised to see all Folks Southern Kitchen restaurants close?  Do you think Folks has the best fried chicken in Atlanta?  What would you like to see open in the former Folks restaurants?

Please share your thoughts below.  

35 comments:

Unknown said...

PO FOLKS WAS A GREAT PLACE TO EAT. THEN THEY STARTED CUTTING THEIR QUALITY AND TASTE. THAT CONTINUED ON AND ON UNTIL IT BECAME JUST ANOTHER OF THE CANNED FOOD NO COUNTRY COOKING TASTE PLACES AND ME AND OTHERS GAVE UP ON THEM AND STOPPED EATING WITH THEM. IT WAS SORT OF LIKE " THE HONEYMOON WAS OVER AND NOW THEY WAS GOING JUST FOR THE MONEY" THEY , LIKE SO MANY OTHERS BEFORE THEM, CREATED THEIR OWN END.

Unknown said...

My 2nd job was working at Po Folks on Jimmy Carter BLVD in the late 80's and I loved the company. Back in that era, the food was incredible but the quality did start sliding backwards in the late 90's. I worked for the company for 5 years. Now, I have been a full time Realtor in Atlanta for 21 years but this job in my early life gave me the workmanship that caries me in a good way.. RIP Po Folks, Mitch Groome with PalmerHouse.

Cindy in Evansdale said...

I love our Tucker location. Best place to get reasonably priced fried green tomatoes. I’m so going to miss it

Anonymous said...

There are still Po Folks Restaurants in Panama City, FL. Best chicken and sweet tea anywhere

Tina H. said...

Folk's did have the best fried chicken! I miss it now. I worked in the Lawrenceville location that started as a County Seat Cafe before changing to folks. I truly miss them!

Anonymous said...

The lengthy cease of Folks’ Facebook updates clearly indicates business troubles. Add Coronavirus’ forced closings, and Folks’ closing is no surprise.

Let the people say it’s “the best.” Yet, the business should never say it. -- Regarding Folks’ “best fried chicken in Atlanta”: “The best” is an overused, abused, and opinionated claim that business must stop touting. Claim the be awesome, but never “the best.” -- JodyTucker.com | April 8, 2020

Cody Cargle said...

Okay good riddance to Folks in general horrible place makes Cracker Barrel look like a 5 star restaurant dedicated to Southern cooking, and Pofolks a old school small town restaurant with down to earth people who hit it big with money! ๐Ÿคฆ๐Ÿป‍♂️ The food at Folks especially the former Douglasville and soon to be former Hiram, Georgia location was god awful service and taste, now Pofolks where I currently live in Panama City Beach Florida is awesome but sadly since Hurricane Michael came, the one on 15th Street is no longer in existence to this very day, it has been demolished recently, but the Lynn Haven and Callaway Florida locations are still open, but I’m sure with Covid 19 looming they are doing takeout I’m sure or curbside as well. ๐Ÿค” Anyways the former one on 15th Street last time wasn’t as good as it was when I vacationed to PCB in 2009, but again the location was extremely dated and the people there were nice, but could have been better, so either way I personally will be going to Cracker Barrel more, since Pofolks is a lot further away from me now. ๐Ÿค”

Carolyn said...

I loved the food and was a regular in Conyers, GA. The service was Awesome and they were like family to me. They knew what I ate and drank. They automatically put my order in when I walked through the door. After the Conyers location closed I started going back to the Northlake location and enjoyed that location too. I hate to see my favorite eating place closed.

Anonymous said...

The one in Panama City on Hwy 98 was taken out by Hurricane Michael in Oct. 2018.

harold "papagold"Lamar said...

when i started dining at this resstaurant in the early 1980s, it was called "po polks and reflected same. They served tea out of mason jars and the language on the menu was clever (you know using words like et, not eat, mouf and not mouth, etc.)
food was damn good and reasonable too.....

Unknown said...

Did you know Ms. LISA?

Cody Cargle said...

Anonymous on April 9, 2020 at 12:11 Am Yep it was a god awful catastrophic Hurricane one I’ll never forget and sadly will remember now, yeah that location isn’t coming back either, they lost the battle to the Cracker Barrel on 23rd Street and Granny Cantrell’s Country Buffett a local Bay County place similar to Pofolks and Cracker Barrel but different in general, but either way they all tasted better than Folks! ๐Ÿ˜‚ So now if you want your Pofolks fix in general you can visit Lynn Haven and Callaway Florida after Covid 19 is officially over and I think there are 2 or 3 more locations left like one in Enterprise Alabama, Pensacola, Florida, and St. Petersburg down near Tampa. ๐Ÿค”

Anonymous said...

I don't bother to read the ad nauseam commenter that includes infantile emojis in every post.

That's all ... Folks

Anonymous said...

April 9, 2020 at 9:05 PM ๐Ÿ˜‚

Cody Cargle said...

Anonymous on April 10, 2020 at 2:52 Pm and 4:50 Pm You obviously have no life always putting down others on this blog, you know with Covid 19 going around still, common sense would tell you hey what if this person will no longer be alive after this month or next year take that thought into consideration dumbass? ๐Ÿ˜‘ And Classic that’s all Folks why don’t you impersonate Bugs Bunny with Easter Sunday less than hours away from now, you simpleton don’t have no remorse for anybody but yourself. ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜ˆ And finally why don’t you go and quarantine yourself in your bedroom and away from this blog. ๐Ÿคฃ

Unknown said...

Folks had great fried chicken and fried green tomatoes and was very reasonable. I know every business faces their challenges. I hope that it could survive in Georgia a lot Senior citizens adored the place and could meet up to have dinner after church. The may have went to can foods, but you all still eating Burger King and McDonald that is definitely not good for you.

Cody Cargle said...

Unknown on April 20, 2020 at 4:15 Am Folks is disgusting there fried chicken was extremely bland and dried out, and who in the hell eats fried green tomatoes anymore, shit was expensive as hell for the money, well guess what it’s not going to survive in Georgia when Cracker Barrel has much better quality and atmosphere as well, some but not all Senior citizens have no taste, they don’t know any better about true Southern cooking, I might be a Millennial but my family couldn’t stand Folks at all, Pofolks is so much better especially when Panama City Beach has more options including Cracker Barrel too on 23rd Street in Panama City Florida as well, not everyone from church liked Folks most church people prefer Cracker Barrel for southern home style cooking, yeah can foods don’t even begin to describe how awful the place was, and Burger King and McDonald’s are both disgusting I wouldn’t touch neither one of them with a 10 ft pole, I prefer Wendy’s, Culver’s, Steak N Shake, Cookout, Backyard Burger, and Five Guys when they don’t mess up over those two honestly. ๐Ÿ˜‚

Anonymous said...

Nobody cares. This is about Atlanta metro.

Anonymous said...

You should have your own blog!

Cody Cargle said...

Anonymous said on April 28, 2020 at 5:30 Am and 1:46 PM Again does it matter what anybody thinks of you! ๐Ÿ˜‚ Okay so what if this Atlanta Metro, I know more about how people are from Atlanta Metro too, and I will say you are definitely ignorant and probably one of those who would come to Florida bitching how stupid these people are? ๐Ÿคฃ Yeah I thought of my own blog honestly, but since you took the time and effort to comment why don’t you start your own website about Georgia: WWW.AtlantaisAwesome.com and comment back to me how everything is going for you? ๐Ÿคฃ

Uptown Mike said...

Correct.. however, thankfully there is a restaurant in Calloway, right down 98, about 12 minutes away and one in lynn haven about 10 minutes away.. just ate at the calloway location tonight!

Uptown Mike said...

Just ate at the calloway location which has been our go to since 15th street was closed. The food is good and the manager Bobby is a class act. Thankfully they said covid didnt have the negative impact on them due to already being set up for take out and they aren't going anywhere!

Uptown Mike said...

Granny Cantrells is horrible.. never saw a buffet with what seemed like 20 different kinds of beans.. felt like a ww2 rations line

Unknown said...

I remember growing up and it was such a treat going to Po Folks as it was called back then. I moved to SC in 2008 and me and my husband made it a tradition to always go to Folks in Douglasville whenever I was visiting my family. I have the fondest memories there. Including the last time I saw my mom. Me, her, my grandma and aunt all went to Folks. My mom passed in 2009. The many times we'd go to Folks, I'd hear songs play that she liked and it'd make me think of her. I'm very sad to see Folks close all of their locations. It wasn't just a restaurant to me. It was more than that. A piece of my heart and childhood feels gone. I will also miss the mac n cheese, mississippi mud pie, and my favorite fried green tomatoes ๐Ÿ˜ญ

Anonymous said...

The Po Folks in Conyers was great back in the 80's. Then I guess they went Bankrupt and another Company named "Folks"? opened up there and other places. Folks wasn't that good the last time I ate there and never went back. I had thought Po Folks changed their name to Folks but I'm guessing that's not the case.

Glamour said...

I am said to hear they have closed, visited the Tucker location as I worked in the area, will miss the fried green tomatoes and the special sauce, came across this as I was trying to see if they had reopened since the pandemic, mouth watering for the green tomatoes

Anonymous said...

Yes Sum, I's know hur lol

Anonymous said...

That dumbass nephew.. Poor Richard's Folks is gone. Because of his dumbass family. Ran it into the griund

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with some of you people.? Everyone's taste buds are not the same. Everyone is entitled to
have their own opinions, taste and choices of eating places without being criticized and name called.

Anonymous said...

Folks have the best food ever.Please re-open

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have the recipe for the peach muffins?

Anonymous said...

Looking for the donut hole recipe...

Anonymous said...

I use to hit the PoFilks in Columbus, GA with my family, when their evening hostess was "Super Haley". She was the fifth Haley my daughter knew, so we had to give them nicknames. Years later, I used to make the trip from Buford to L'ville to the "Folks" restaurant on Hurricane Shoals.
Covid also knocked out or local Golden Corral.๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ฌ☹️☹️๐Ÿคจ๐Ÿ˜ ๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿคฌ

Anonymous said...

Most of their food was not prepared at the restaurant. It was cooked at another location and distributed to the restaurants. I had a sister and an aunt that worked where the food was actually cooked and they both said that if people knew what went on there that they would not eat at po folks. I took their advice and never ate there.

Anonymous said...

Can somebody open it up again please that whole catfish was best in Atl i miss it so much I no it rich Pearson can help companies please

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