{"slug": "popular-pizza-franchisee-files-for-bankruptcy-despite-two-years-of-national", "title": "Popular pizza franchisee files for bankruptcy despite two years of national expansion", "summary": "Rogue Fare LLC, a franchisee operating five Mountain Mike's Pizza restaurants in Oregon, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, listing assets under $50,000 and debts between $1 million and $10 million. The filing comes as rising pizza prices and industry headwinds challenge franchisees, despite Mountain Mike's national expansion plans.", "body_md": "# Popular pizza franchisee files for bankruptcy despite two years of national expansion\n\nSee more of our coverage in your search results.\n\n[Add The New York Post on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=nypost.com)\n\nDough deficit.\n\nWhile this popular pizza chain has recently opened dozens of new locations, the crust could not cover the costs for one franchisee.\n\nLast week, Rogue Fare LLC, which operates five [Mountain Mike’s Pizza](https://mountainmikesfranchise.com/) restaurants throughout the state of Oregon, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nAccording to [court papers,](https://www.ch11.ai/filing-detail/62026bk61830_1) the petition, which was filed in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon in Eugene on July 1, listed assets between $0 and $50,000 and debts between $1 million and $10 million.\n\nRogue Fare operates two locations in Medford, Oregon, where the LLC is based, as well as restaurants in Klamath Falls, Grants Pass, and Roseburg.\n\nPer the petition, the debtor’s largest creditors include First Bank of the Lake, which is owed over $2.9 million, followed by First Internet Bank of Indiana, which is owed over $1.5 million\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe debtor did not provide a reason for filing for bankruptcy in its petition.\n\nHowever, rising pizza prices have led to a decline in industry sales over the past few years.\n\nEarlier this year, Mountain Mike’s was ranked as the 6th most [overpriced pizza chain](https://nypost.com/2026/02/26/lifestyle/new-study-reveals-americas-most-overpriced-pizza-chains/) in the US.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nIn[ February, Papa John’s announced](https://nypost.com/2026/03/03/business/papa-johns-closing-hundreds-of-restaurants-in-major-shake-up/) that hundreds of underperforming restaurants would cease operations by the end of 2027, describing the locations as primarily franchise-owned, more than a decade old, and generating less than $600,000 in annual sales volume (AUV).\n\nMeanwhile, Pizza Hut announced earlier this year that it would close 250 locations as its parent company completes a strategic review of the business, and warned that it could sell the chain.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nNot only are franchisees across the fast-food industry facing severe headwinds from inflation, supply chain expenses, and labor costs, but pizzerias nationwide are facing stiff competition.\n\nA recent Wall Street Journal report found that [pizza restaurants are now outnumbered](https://nypost.com/2026/02/17/lifestyle/papa-johns-is-aiming-to-get-a-michelin-star-for-its-pizza/) by Mexican restaurants and coffee shops.\n\nUnlike its better-known competitors, which are closing up shop across the country, [Mountain Mike’s has been in full-blown growth mode](https://mountainmikesfranchise.com/inside-mountain-mikes-2025-breakout/). Last year, the company opened 24 restaurants across six markets, including a location in Las Vegas.\n\nThis year, Mountain Mike’s is committed to opening an additional 25 locations in the US.\n\nMountain Mike’s was established in 1978 when its first location opened near Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.\n\nThe chain was purchased by private equity firm Levine Leichtman in 2017, which later sold it to its current owners, Chris Britt and Ed St. Geme, in 2022. At the time of the sale, the pizza chain had 245 locations, a number that now tops 300.\n\nThe company’s crust kingdom already includes Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, with plans to develop locations in Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia, and further its expansion into New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.\n\nAccording to the company website, the total startup investment, including the franchise fee and working capital, ranges between $356,000 and $994,000.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/popular-pizza-franchisee-files-for-bankruptcy-despite-two-years-of-national", "canonical_source": "https://nypost.com/2026/07/07/lifestyle/mountain-mikes-pizza-franchisee-files-for-bankruptcy-despite-expansion/", "published_at": "2026-07-07 15:38:50+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-07 16:07:58.180339+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-startups"], "entities": ["Rogue Fare LLC", "Mountain Mike's Pizza", "First Bank of the Lake", "First Internet Bank of Indiana", "Papa John's", "Pizza Hut", "Levine Leichtman", "Chris Britt"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/popular-pizza-franchisee-files-for-bankruptcy-despite-two-years-of-national", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/popular-pizza-franchisee-files-for-bankruptcy-despite-two-years-of-national.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/popular-pizza-franchisee-files-for-bankruptcy-despite-two-years-of-national.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/popular-pizza-franchisee-files-for-bankruptcy-despite-two-years-of-national.jsonld"}}