801 Restaurant Group files Chapter 11, closes Minneapolis location as debts mount

The ground-floor 801 on Nicollet at U.S. Bancorp Center went dark just as 801 Restaurant Group moved into Chapter 11, leaving staff and regulars in Minneapolis to wonder whether the closure was the first cut or the last. A sign at the doors blamed “extenuating circumstances,” a blunt marker of how quickly a high-end dining room can disappear when the books tighten.

The Overland Park, Kansas-based company filed for bankruptcy on April 10 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas, case no. 2:26-bk-20549, assigned to Judge Robert D. Berger. Court documents listed nearly $15 million in assets and $18.7 million in liabilities, including more than $3 million in lease guarantees and a $1.8 million claim from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

801 Restaurant Group operates eight restaurants in seven cities under the 801 Chophouse and 801 Fish banners. The first 801 Chophouse opened in 1993 in Des Moines, Iowa, before the brand spread to Denver, Leawood, Kansas, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha and St. Louis. Even after the filing, the remaining restaurants appeared to still be operating normally, a sign the company is trying to restructure rather than shut down outright.

For workers, that distinction matters less than the immediate reality on the floor. A Chapter 11 filing can leave scheduling in flux, freeze hiring, and sharpen pressure on labor budgets as managers try to protect cash. Lease negotiations can also change the map fast, especially in downtown locations like Nicollet Mall, where traffic has already been uneven and office demand has not fully rebounded.

The bankruptcy also lands in an expensive corner of the restaurant business. Steakhouses have been squeezed by record or near-record beef prices and by softer demand for pricey sit-down dining, a bad combination for concepts built around high check averages and polished service. In an industry where bankruptcies have become common under inflation, rising operating costs and shifting dining habits, 801 Restaurant Group’s filing reads less like an isolated financial event than another warning for upscale dining rooms trying to hold margins, payroll and rent together at the same time.