Horizon West BurgerFi closes, replacement announced

The Horizon West BurgerFi location has closed.

The closure of the location at 5845 Winter Garden-Vineland Road, Suite 100, in the Windermere Village Plaza, took place shortly before parent company BurgerFi International Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday, Sept. 11.

“Regretfully, this BurgerFi location is permanently closed,” a sign on the front door read. “We thank you for all of your support.”

The Chapter 11 filing by the company includes only the 67 corporate-owned locations of both brands — BurgerFi and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza and Wings. Franchisee-owned locations of both brands were excluded from the bankruptcy proceedings.

“In the face of a drastic decline in post-pandemic consumer spending amid sustained inflation and increasing food and labor costs, we need to stabilize the business in a structured process,” Chief Restructuring Officer of BurgerFi International Inc. Jeremy Rosenthal said in a prepared statement. “We are confident that this process will allow us to protect and grow our brands and to continue the operational turnaround started less than 12 months ago and secure additional capital.”

Orlando Korean fried chicken restaurant Chi-Kin announced it will be taking the Horizon West spot left vacant by BurgerFi. It will be Chi-Kin’s second location; its first is at 813 N. Mills Ave., Orlando. Chi-Kin is expected to open in October.

Earlier this week, a court granted interim approval for the BurgerFi International to immediately access $3.5 million of the debtor-in-possession financing provided by an affiliate of TREW Capital Management. The court also approved the use of the company's existing employee benefits, cash management systems and customer programs. 

BurgerFi’s other West Orange and Southwest Orange locations — at 4750 The Grove Drive, Suite 104, Windermere; 360 W. Plant St., Suite 101, Winter Garden; and 7730 Palm Parkway, Suite 110, Orlando — remain open.