Swisshelms shutter Macaroni Grill

Last edited 3:09 p.m., June 18, 2012

Romano’s Macaroni Grill, 1286 E. Battlefield Road, has closed its doors in the wake of a bankruptcy filing.

At the restaurant site, Macaroni Grill signage has been removed, and a hand-written note on the door simply says, “closed.” A call to the restaurant’s listed number went unanswered, and the owners could not be reached by deadline.

The restaurant was operated by Swisshelm Properties Inc., one of 14 business entities tied to restaurateur Bruce Swisshelm, who filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in March.

Swisshelm was involved in a number of restaurant ventures, including area Macaroni Grill, San Francisco Oven and Ebbets Field restaurants, and McAlister’s Deli sites in Florida.

The bankruptcy filing set off a flurry of business moves, including the closure of the Ebbets Field restaurant on South Glenstone Avenue in April; a change in ownership to Pub Management LLC for the East Walnut Street Ebbets Field; and Gordon Elliott of Elliott Lodging Ltd. taking over the operations of the East Sunshine Street location of San Francisco Oven March 31 through Market Place Properties Inc.

Swisshelm partnered with his son, Bruce Swisshelm Jr., on the Macaroni Grill franchise.

The younger Swisshelm, who could not be reached for comment for this story, in April told Springfield Business Journal he intended to keep the restaurant open under his management.

A spokeswoman with the Dallas-based corporate headquarters of Romano’s Macaroni Grill declined to comment, referring questions to the franchisee.

The Springfield Macaroni Grill is located in the Fremont Center, a development owned by Ataractic Investment Co. LLC.

R.B. Murray Co. Vice President Ross Murray, whose company manages the brokerage side of Ataractic Investment, said Swisshelm Properties owns the building and leases the land from the partnership. Murray, who said the property isn’t on the market, declined to comment on the closure or the details of the lease.[[In-content Ad]]