BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Marie Callender's in Bakersfield will be no more come Sunday, after its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And some of it's big fans are going out for one last piece of pie.
“I bought two for my mom and dad and three for us," said Bakersfield resident Cailea Wilson outside of the Marie Callender's location on California Avenue.
Ever since Wilson was little, he says it was tradition to get pies from Marie Callender’s, especially when they pies went on sale. That’s why he stocked up Friday.
“We’re gonna miss this. We’re gonna miss Marie Calender’s. We’re gonna miss, like I said, the pies. We’re gonna miss the pie sales, we’re gonna miss the commercials," he said.
After the restaurant’s parent company filed for bankruptcy earlier this week, it was announced that 19 Marie Calender’s locations would be closing for good. The chain has restaurants in California and Nevada.
“We’d always take pies to various events, Christmas and things like that, Easter,” said Ron Stark, who eats at Marie Calendar's about once a week with his wife.
By about 7 pm on Friday, there was a paper on the restaurant’s front door saying the store was completely out of pies.
“I don’t think it can be replaced, Marie Calender’s. The pies have always been special. As far as some of these other places, I mean there isn’t a lot of choices, unless they’re homemade somewhere," Stark said.
“I bought two chocolate satins, a peach, as cream cheese and a cheesecake," Wilson said.
For someone like Wilson, Sunday could mark the end of a family tradition.
“It’s like a shock, it’s gonna be a shock, it’s like a shock to everybody," he said.
Assistant Manager Victor Larios says the restaurant will close on August 11, however there's a possibility the restaurant could be bought out. He says about 50 employees have received notice.
