Sandwich chain Taylor Gourmet, whose owner took heat after meeting with President Trump, is closing all of its stores after Sunday.
The decision to shut down the chain follows private equity firm KarpReilly’s decision to pull out of the company, the Washingtonian reported Friday. Multiple sources told the publication that the company plans to file for bankruptcy. A spokesperson told the publication Trump “contributed” to a decline in sandwich sales, but the chain rebounded from the backlash and it wasn’t the cause of the closure.
The closure was also attributed to the chain’s rapid expansion.
Owner Casey Patten told the Washington Business Journal last week that it planned to close some locations as it pivoted to smaller stores, but that the chain was still profitable.
Three people familiar with the company told the Washingtonian that after Patten met with Trump at a small business roundtable at the White House in January 2017, the sandwich chain saw a decline in sales. In response to backlash at the time, Patten told the Washington Post he had also participated in a roundtable discussion with former President Barack Obama in May 2012. The discussion with Obama took place at the Taylor Gourmet location on 14th Street NW in Washington.
Patten had also been invited to a ceremony at the White House in 2014, where Obama detailed the success of Taylor Gourmet.
One source told the Washingtonian that the chain’s sales “dropped 40 percent the next day” following Patten’s meeting with Trump.
“It persisted and never really got any better,” the source said.
A spokesperson told the publication Trump “contributed” to a decline in sandwich sales, but the chain rebounded from the backlash and it wasn’t the cause of the closure.
