Sizzler Files For Bankruptcy; 4,600 Employees To Lose Jobs

LOS ANGELES - Sizzler International, a nationwide steakhouse chain, filed for bankruptcy protection last night, the victim of shifting consumer tastes and relentless competition in the budget-priced restaurant business.

Today the company was to close 130 U.S. restaurants and fire 4,600 employees, mostly part-timers.

Sizzler will be left with 85 company-owned restaurants and 235 franchised restaurants in the United States as well as a large and profitable international operation.

Kevin Perkins, chief executive of Sizzler International, portrayed the bankruptcy filing as a strategic move that would enable the company to escape costly leases on unprofitable restaurants and move ahead with a new format stressing made-to-order grill items and other steakhouse fare.