the buzz log

First Starbucks. Now this. With out so much as a word of warning, Bennigan's Grill & Tavern has thrown in the laminated menu. The chain filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy today and immediately closed all its company-owned stores. (Independently owned franchises will remain open.)

The reaction to the eatery's sudden shuttering has rattled casual diners everywhere. Demand for "bennigans" boosted the chain into the top spiking searches for the day, a place we can confidently say the faux-Irish pub has never ventured before.

In Buzz, several sources cited the restaurant's rivals. "Apparently, it couldn't compete with Chili's, Applebee's and the like," sniffed a blogger at The Dallas Morning News. "After three hundred and twenty-two devoted years of deep frying sandwiches," Gawker quipped, "Bennigan's Grill & Tavern, known to some as Not-Applebee's, is shuttering most of its locations."

There's one thing that Applebee's never had on the Big B: its baked potato soup. For years now, home chefs have turned to the Web for the secrets to Bennigan's classic Irish chowder. We could go for a bowl now.