Picture this: It’s 1998, and your mom just got home from work. She asks what you want for dinner, and your mind immediately goes to the crispy rotisserie chicken going around and around on a spit behind a plethora of hot sides at Boston Market. Your family piles into the car, you drive to the nearest location and dive into your perfectly divided plate filled out with chicken breast, sweet potatoes, creamed spinach and cornbread.
No, this is not an ad — this was my lived experience as a ‘90s kid growing up in Trumbull, Connecticut. Fast forward to April 2024 when my 32-year-old self is listening to a recent episode on The Ringer’s . Admittedly, I haven’t been to (or really thought about) a Boston Market in nearly two years, but when one of the hosts said, “Boston Market, going away!” I froze.
Then, I turned to Google for more answers. A reported the remaining seven storefronts across the state had closed as of November 2023, and the chain’s proved it to be true. As I did more top-line research, I stumbled across Restaurant Business Magazine’s : “Boston Market is down to 27 restaurants.
” My heart sunk into my chest, just like seeing a customer in front of you take the last scoop of sweet corn right before your eyes. My first thought was, “How did I not notice?” My second thought: “But the mac and cheese!?” My third and fourth thoughts: “Sad me” and “I have to call my mom.” I heard her gasp on the other line when I told her the chain might b.
