Bravo! Italian Kitchen has closed its Knoxville location following a 2025 bankruptcy filing. The Italian restaurant chain had one Knoxville location at 106 Major Reynolds Place on Bearden Hill, near Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse and Wingstop.
Parent company Bravo Brio Restaurants LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2025, according to reporting by USA TODAY, marking the chain's second bankruptcy in just more than five years.
Bravo! Italian Kitchen− known for its Sicilian pizza, eggplant parmesan, shrimp scampi and other familiar entrees − has operated at its Bearden Hill location for more than a decade. The restaurant "takes great care in preparing each dish to order," according to its website, and uses "the highest quality and freshest
ingredients for our modern Italian menu."
Bravo Brio Restaurants aims "to improve its financial position as it brings on a new investor" through the bankruptcy process, the company said in a 2025 news release, by allowing the company to "quickly and efficiently reorganize its business for a sustainable and successful future."
That would include "closing underperforming locations," the release said, "restructuring debt, and streamlining and reducing operational expenses."
In its bankruptcy filing, according to USA TODAY, the company reported $50 million to $100 million in assets, including about $25 million in furniture, restaurant equipment and inventory. It also listed more than $50 million in liabilities, including nearly $900,000 owed to employees and $1.9 million owed to food supplier Sysco.
USA TODAY journalists Mike Snider and James Powel contributed background on Bravo Brio Restaurants' bankruptcy filing to this report.
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes covers restaurants and retail for the business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram: @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna's Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Italian restaurant chain closes Knoxville location after bankruptcy filing
