Curry House (restaurant chain)

Curry House (Japanese: カレーハウス/カレーの館, Hepburn: Karē hausu/Karē no yakata) was a Japanese-style curry restaurant based in California. It was founded and formerly operated by House Foods. The chain was closed down permanently on February 24, 2020.[1][2]

Entrance to the flagship Curry House restaurant in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles.

History

Curry House was founded in 1983 as a division of House Foods America, with the first location opening in the Weller Court complex in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles. Over the course of its history the chain grew to 9 locations across California.[3][4] In addition to Japanese curry, Curry House also sold other kinds of yōshoku including Naporitan, tonkatsu, menchi katsu, and hamburg.[5] House Foods also sold a line of instant curries in retort pouches that was branded under the Curry House name.[6]

In June 2019, House Foods sold Curry House to CH Acquisitions, LLC; with Food Management Partners, Inc. of Texas running the chain's daily operation.[2][4][7][8] Four years before, House Foods had purchased CoCo Ichibanya and made it a subsidiary.[9] The new owners immediately fired most of its personnel, including 90% of its kitchen workers, forcing the chain to temporarily close while it hired and trained new staff.[8][7] The same year that the change in ownership occurred, Food Management Partners' three co-founders and an executive had been sued in court. The plaintiff in that case alleged that the defendants siphoned $12 million to themselves in order to purchase “exotic cars, boats, homes, and foreign travel."[10][8][7][2]

On February 24, 2020, CH Acquisitions and Food Management Partners closed down Curry House. The former stated in a press release that the "misrepresentation of the legal status of many [Curry House] employees" and the resultant “confusion" caused by the need to temporarily shut down the restaurants in order to train new staff were factors in their decision.[1][8][7] According to reports, the chain's parent company had given staff no warning of their decision.[2][8][7]

Notes
  1. "CH Acquisitions Closes Curry House Restaurants". PR Newswire. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  2. Waterfield, Sophia. "Curry House Trends After All Japanese Curry and Spaghetti Restaurants Mysteriously Close". Newsweek. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  3. https://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/index.php?com=location&lID=2022
  4. Petre, Holly. "Curry House Japanese Curry and Spaghetti has shuttered, closing all 9 units in Southern California". Restaurant Hospitality. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. https://www.facebook.com/CurryHouseRestaurants/
  6. "House Foods America Introduces New Product: Curry House Vegetable Curry". Food & Beverage Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  7. Snyder, Garrett. "Curry House, a beloved Japanese American chain, abruptly shuts down all its restaurants". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  8. Shatkin, Elina. "Why Did Curry House's Closure Break LA's Heart?". LAist. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  9. Tsunashima, Yuta; Takeuchi, Kosuke. "House Foods aiming to use chain to spread Japanese curry culture". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  10. Danner, Patrick. "San Antonio-area restaurant operators 'siphoned' millions from business: suit". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
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