In the 1980s rotisserie chicken may have existed, but it wasn’t the staple it has become today.
Costco, for example, which became well-known for selling a whole rotisserie chicken for $4.99, didn’t start selling the popular product until 1994.
“The famous $4.99 chicken made its official Costco debut in 1994. Aside from a brief surge in the dollar in 2008 during the Great Recession, Costco has maintained its commitment to keeping the price of chicken steady despite continued inflation,” according to Eat This, Not That.
The warehouse club is actually losing money on the sale of its popular chicken. But Rose Sioson, founder of Delicious Rushed and an avid Costco shopper, thinks Costco more than makes up for it by getting customers through the door for that value chicken.
“Costco may technically lose money on every rotisserie chicken they sell, but trust me — they’re not losing money when it comes to what I’m going to buy next,” Sioson said. “That chicken usually ends up in a cart with salad dressings, pre-made mashed potatoes, a bottle of wine, maybe a dessert, and something random that I had no intention of buying. It’s classic Costco strategy.”
When a major retailer sells your core product as a loss leader, that’s never great for business, but that’s just one of the reasons Boston Market has been pushed to the brink of existence.
When I was a kid growing up outside of Boston in the 1980s, my aunt used to visit and would often bring a chicken from what was then known as Boston Chicken. At the time, the company was a small local chain that was founded in a suburb of Boston.
It was my first exposure to rotisserie chicken, and the concept quickly took off. McDonald’s was even an investor for a short time.
Peak Footprint: Boston Market once had over 1,200 US restaurants at its national peak in the 1990s. The drop from 1,200 to 300 occurred from the late 1990s to 2023.
Decline 2023-2024: The chain shrank sharply from 300 locations in early 2023 to less than 30 by early 2024, according to Restaurant Business Online.
Footprint at the beginning of 2025: Estimates indicate less than 20 locations remain open nationwide in early 2025with many stores disappearing without notice, a sharp collapse from the previous scale, Flavor365 added.
Fluid numbers: Official company listings on websites and apps significantly overstate open stores; many listed establishments are confirmed closed, Restaurant Business Online reported.
Technically, the chain still exists, but its owner has twice tried to file for bankruptcy.
“Boston market owner Jay Pandya — who faces hundreds of lawsuits from vendors, franchisees and employees over unpaid bills — filed for personal bankruptcy on Dec. 8, 2023, in the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Pandya cited debts of $10 million to $50 million and the same range of assets, his restaurant News Nation’s Bankruptcy reported.
That case, and a subsequent one, were rejected by the courts.
The company’s Denver headquarters was seized by local authorities in 2023 for $300,000 in unpaid taxes, and several vendors have filed lawsuits against Boston Market over unpaid bills. In addition, many locations were forced to close or employees were stocking their stores with supermarket-bought food because contracts with suppliers had run out or been cancelled, according to NRN.
The chain also faces a court order to pay its key supplier, US Foods, for $15 million, according to PacerMonitor.
Several locations have been affected by the US Foods lawsuit, highlighting how unpaid supplier invoices have contributed to store closures, Restaurant Business Online reported.
Only a few Boston Market locations are still open.Shutterstock” loading=”lazy” height=”540″ width=”960″ class=”yf-lglytj loader”/>
Only a few Boston Market locations are still open.Shutterstock
Chapter 11 Trials: Boston Market Owner (Jay Pandya) twice filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on behalf of the companybut courts rejected both files due to procedural and documentation issues, according to RetailWire.
Boston Market owner Jay Pandya asked personal chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 8, 2023, listing $10–50 million in liabilities and assets. (Source:News of the Nation’s Restaurant) That case was dismissed early due to procedural deficiencies, Restaurant Business Online added.
Unpaid obligations: The brand faces legal action unpaid rent, payables to suppliers (eg US Foods claims) and back wageswhich forced the closures, according to Flavor365.
Evacuations and closures: Several locations have been evicted or ordered closed by authorities due to unpaid obligations.
The brand still exists, but on life support: A handful of Boston Market restaurants are still technically open, but chain footprint is small compared to the previous scale, Flavor365 reports.
New openings amid collapse: Despite the closings, the company has opened at least one new location post-bankruptcy, indicating attempts at recovery, RetailWire shared.
In 2024, Pandaya launched a new franchise plan to bring Boston Market to non-traditional locations. He licenses the brand because it is not legally established to offer traditional franchises.
“The name Boston Market stands alone and is well known throughout the country,” Pandya said in a statement to Nation’s Restaurant News at the time. “Now, with everyone’s support, we will be able to offer everyone our famous rotisserie chicken and delicious homemade side dishes and family meals. We encourage anyone with a location and desire to virtually add Boston Market to reach out and partner with us.”
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Many were skeptical of the plan.
“At this point, it’s just a way for him to scam somebody,” Gina Busby, former director of area operations for Boston Market, told RetailWire. “He owes employees millions in unpaid wages, including myself. He failed to report wages earned so people couldn’t get unemployment. He fraudulently [reported] supervisors as 1099 employees. He did not pay the expenses due. More lawsuits and class actions are coming their way.”
Restaurant analyst Aaron Allen told FCNews that the chain caused its own decline.
“After distinguishing itself in the 1990s as a discount to fast food, it tried to compete with those brands by keeping its costs down – a move that ultimately led to a reduction in quality that only undermined it further,” he said.
“If you go after a consumer with a lower price, you can go out of business,” Allen said.
Grocers, too, ate up Boston Market lunch as they began adding rotisserie chicken to their expanding prepared-meal aisles.
“Essentially, Boston Market has become a victim of its own success. After helping to popularize whole, fried chickens — in some cases, introducing the concept to consumers — the chain eventually saw Costco serve the same stuff for much cheaper,” wrote retail and restaurant expert Steve Feldman.
A former employee, Josh Taylor, posted about the brand’s decline on Linkedin.
“Oversaturation, competition and food costs killed Boston Market. Maybe you could argue that food costs were due to the expanded menu, but people liked all the items on the menu,” he wrote.
Jorge Franchi, president of business research firm Franchi Business Enterprises, shared his thoughts on the chain’s decline.
“The cuisine became complex, the quality declined, and the service slowed down. Customers became confused about what Boston Market really was. A push into sandwiches put them in direct competition with McDonald’s and Subway on price. Running two businesses under one roof diluted the brand identity and took away its edge,” he said.
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on January 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Restaurants section. Add TheStreet as a favorite source by clicking here.
