Overview
- Superior Star LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 9 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Kentucky and said it will continue operating its remaining 59 Hardee’s restaurants while it seeks a reorganization.
- The company reported about $80 million in 2025 revenue, estimated assets and liabilities between $10 million and $50 million, and more than 1,000 creditors listed in the court filings.
- Superior Star traces its distress to a December 2023 purchase of roughly 103 restaurants from StarCorp, saying the seller failed to disclose millions in deferred maintenance, unpaid taxes and other liabilities a claim that StarCorp disputes.
- The franchisee closed about 30 underperforming restaurants in 2025 and kept paying rent on some shuttered sites, creating large “dark site” expenses, while overdue sales taxes led to levies on its bank accounts that the company cites as the immediate trigger for the bankruptcy.
- Among the biggest contested claims is a $7.04 million seller note to StarCorp and other major creditors include McLane, landlords and royalty obligations; Hardee’s says it is aware of the filing and previous franchisee failures have led the brand to sometimes reopen closed stores as corporate locations.