Chop's Deli gets reprieve with state
The restaurant will now look at options, including a partial buyout or closing some locations
![Chris Graham and Brad Corpening, co-owners of Chop's Deli, pose for a photo at the deli opening in 2010. After opening several more locations, the owners are asking the community for help in bailing the deli out of debt. [FILE PHOTO]](/gcdn/authoring/2018/06/20/NSTN/ghows-NC-6f12c0f3-3fe6-6046-e053-0100007f8d68-c8ef70dd.jpeg?width=660&height=439&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
WILMINGTON -- After meeting with the state revenue department Wednesday, Chop's Deli owners say they have bought themselves enough time to stay open while fixing their financial issues.
On Friday, the deli launched a Go Fund Me crowd funding campaign asking the community to help raise $100,000 by Wednesday. In addition, owners Brad Corpening and Chris Graham said they were pursuing multiple other avenues to save at least one of their four locations.
Corpening told the StarNews that as he and his business partner overextended themselves and expanded too quickly, they were behind in sales tax payments to the state because they were also paying on loans to expand and it became a viscous cycle.
Chop’s has three deli locations -- downtown, Wrightsville Beach and Monkey Junction. In 2016, Chop’s Diner opened in Wrightsboro and in 2016 the brand signed on to open a Chop’s Creamery concept at The Pointe at Barclay, which never opened. Chop’s got out of its Barclay lease earlier this year and reopened the Monkey Junction location that was closed to open the Barclay concept.
On Wednesday, after meeting with the state, Corpening said the brand is not out of the woods yet, but they have bought themselves enough time to make payments to the state's revenue department.
"We're grateful for the opportunity to fix our problems, correct our mistakes, restructure, reorganize and come back better and stronger," he said.
While the four locations across New Hanover County are expected to stay open, in coming months, as part of fixing the brand's problems, Corpening said he would explore "minimizing Chop's footprint" to help restructure. But he said they are open to other financial opportunities, including a potential buyout of some locations.
As for the $10,000 raised by crowd funding, he and Graham are still considering how they might use those funds. The swell of business to the stores over the course of this week, thanks in part to publicity around their debt, also made a big impact, Corpening said.
"Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the campaign, bought a sandwich, or given us a hug in recent days," Corpening said.
Reporter Ashley Morris can be reached at 910-343-2096 or Ashley.Morris@StarNewsOnline.com.