Clover Food Lab filed a sixty-day WARN notice with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development on March 30, 2026, warning state regulators that the Cambridge-based vegetarian fast-casual chain will cut 182 jobs across eleven locations if a buyer is not secured by May 29, 2026. The notice was signed by Maureen McSweeny, the company’s People Operations director.
In statements to local press, Clover said it is “simply complying with regulations” and remains optimistic about finding a buyer before the deadline. No purchaser has been named publicly, and the company has not disclosed which advisor or broker is handling the sale process.
From Food Truck to Fast-Casual Chain
Founder Ayr Muir launched Clover as a single food truck outside the MIT campus in October 2008 with co-founder Rolando Robledo. Muir holds a bachelor’s and master’s in materials science from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School, and he previously worked at McKinsey and Company advising consumer and retail CEOs. He has said the idea for Clover came from an early United Nations report linking livestock production to climate change. Muir wanted to make fresh, local, sustainable vegetarian food as common and convenient as Burger King or McDonald’s.
The concept expanded from trucks into brick-and-mortar stores through the 2010s and peaked at roughly thirteen locations before the pandemic. Clover’s menus rotate daily based on what local New England farms can supply, and no permanent items sit on the board. Named farm partners include Brookford Farm, Winter Moon Roots, Rhode Island Mushroom Co., Seven Hills Pasta Co., and Maine Grains.
A Chapter 11 Filing and a Short Recovery
Clover filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on November 3, 2023. The company cited low post-pandemic sales, above-market rents, and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank earlier that year, which had halted a planned $1.6 million growth equity round. A Back Bay flagship at 565 Boylston Street that was losing three hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year was closed as part of the restructuring.
The company emerged from Chapter 11 on April 24, 2024, under a Subchapter 5 small business reorganization plan. At the time of exit, Muir told local press that Clover intended to expand to sixty locations within five years. The chain had roughly 240 employees and eleven stores at emergence, meaning the WARN notice filed eighteen months later marks a sharp reversal from that growth plan.
Current Footprint and Revenue
Clover’s eleven stores are concentrated in Cambridge and along the MBTA Red Line. Confirmed locations include 1326 Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square, 496 Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square, 1 Oxford Street near MIT, a location inside the Harvard Science Center, a Newton store at 835 Washington Street, a Prudential Center location in Back Bay, and a downtown Boston store. A Somerville location at 330 Foley Street closed in January 2026.
Total revenue reached roughly eleven million dollars in 2024, according to Boston Globe reporting. Weekly subscription meal boxes, which Clover began offering during the pandemic, now account for about twenty percent of total revenue.
Funding History and the Road to May 29
Clover has raised about $17.7 million across nine rounds since founding. Named investors include Continental Grain Company, Partner Ventures, Greentown Labs, and a minority stake held by McKinsey and Company. Day-to-day leadership has shifted since the bankruptcy exit, with former chief operating officer Julia Piper now listed as the company’s chief executive.
If a buyer is not secured by May 29, the WARN filing triggers the full 182-person reduction and the company could move to a Chapter 7 liquidation, TheStreet reported. A successful sale would keep some or all of the stores operating under new ownership, though no term sheets or letters of intent have been reported in public coverage.
Sources
Boston Globe, Clover Food Lab tells state it will close this spring without a buyer
Cambridge Day, Clover seeks buyer
Cambridge Day, Clover Food Lab aims for 60 locations after exiting bankruptcy
WBUR, Clover Food Lab files for Chapter 11
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