Ask LaFleur: Why did Church's Chicken restaurants in Greenville abruptly close?

Question: What happened to Church's Chicken? I've noticed multiple locations in Greenville shut down recently. 

Answer: A handwritten sign hanging near the front entrance of the Poinsett Highway Church's Chicken restaurant on Thursday morning said "closed" in large black letters. A note underneath suggested customers visit the Church's location at either South Pleasantburg Drive or Augusta Street.

I followed the instructions and drove to Pleasantburg and found similar signs hanging on the windows of that restaurant and its drive-thru menu. The Augusta Street location was still operating this week.

I contacted Church's Chicken's corporate offices to find answers on the unexpected closure of the other two restaurants. 

In a statement, a representative for Church's Chicken said several franchised Church's restaurants, operated by Charleston-based State Acquisitions LLC, closed. 

Greenville County property records show the properties at South Pleasantburg Drive, Poinsett Highway and Augusta Street locations are owned by State Acquisitions LLC.

Those three locations are among 24 South Carolina and Georgia restaurants owned by State Acquisitions LLC that are named in lawsuits filed in Charleston County by First Franchise Capital Corporation, a restaurant franchise financing company based out of Indianapolis.

According to Charleston County court records, First Franchise Capital filed the first of those lawsuits in October for breach of contract. First Franchise Capital filed another lawsuit in December for foreclosure.

The restaurant chain has been told the stores closed because the landlord of the property evicted the franchisee, according to a statement provided by a representative of Church's Chicken.

"Church’s corporate in Atlanta is in contact with the landlord and is attempting to secure new leases so that the locations could be reopened as company-operated Church’s restaurants," the statement said. "We are doing everything in our power to make that happen. The franchisee has told us he plans to pay all of his employees any and all wages owed."

The same representative for Church's said the company could not comment on why the Augusta Street location was still open.

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I reached out to State Acquisitions LLC to find out why the Augusta Street location remains operational while others have closed. The woman who answered the phone said she could not provide information related to the lawsuit or those specific locations, but did say she expects the Augusta Street location to continue to operate.

She then transferred my call to a voice mailbox. A message left at that mailbox received no response.

Do you have a question you want answered? Send it to elafleur@greenvillenews.com, contact Elizabeth on her Facebook page at facebook.com/ElizabethSLaFleur or send questions via mail to Elizabeth LaFleur, 32 E. Broad St., Greenville, SC 29601. Answers will appear in the Tuesday and Friday print editions of The Greenville News.