Denver steakhouse owner files for bankruptcy – KUSA.com
The owner of 801 Chophouse, which operates a restaurant at Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Denver, has filed for bankruptcy.
DENVER — The owner of 801 Chophouse has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The high-end steakhouse chain operates eight 801 Chophouse locations, including one restaurant in Colorado, located at East First Avenue and South Steele Street, at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Denver.
Known for its Wagyu beef and triple-digit entrée prices, 801 Chophouse also operates restaurants in Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; Leawood, Kan.; Minneapolis; Omaha, Neb.; and Tysons Corner, Va.
The latest casualty in a restaurant industry battered by surging beef costs and weakening consumer demand for pricey sit-down dining, 801 Restaurant Group LLC filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Kansas in Kansas City on April 10.
801 Restaurant Group also owns restaurants under the 801 Fish brand. It opened the first 801 Chophouse in 1993 in Des Moines and has since expanded across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.
The company recently closed a newer concept, 801 on Nicollet, in Minneapolis, though its other locations appeared to be operating as normal.
The steakhouse’s menu includes a Rosewood Ranches American ribeye at $145, a dry-aged porterhouse at $143, a 16-ounce wet-aged bone-in filet at $130 and a 12-ounce filet mignon at $87.
Beef prices skyrocket
The filing comes as the American beef industry faces a supply crisis of historic proportions.
The U.S. cattle herd has fallen to a 75-year low, and Americans are facing an increase in beef costs that has made steak prices spike 16% to $12.73 per pound and ground beef to $6.86 per pound as of March 2026, according to federal data.
Restaurant bankruptcies
The filing is the latest in a long string of restaurant bankruptcies over the past few years that has included giant chains such as Red Lobster and Hooters, as well as smaller groups. The trend reflects changing consumer dining patterns due to inflation as well as the rising cost of operating restaurants, as chains grapple with escalating food prices, increased labor costs and higher rent expenses.
Other upscale steakhouse brands have also struggled. Bloomin’ Brands’ Outback Steakhouse closed 41 underperforming locations in 2025. Steak and seafood chain McCormick & Schmick’s, which once had 60 restaurants, was down to 13 locations by the end of 2025.
TEGNA Digital contributed to this report.
