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Outback Steakhouse franchisee files for bankruptcy

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Cerca Trova Restaurant Group, a San Diego-based franchisee that operates 61 Outback Steakhouse restaurants, mostly in California, filed for bankruptcy on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg. The Los Angeles Times reports a Chapter 11 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, seeking relief from hundreds of millions in debt. The company cites food costs, labor costs and declining customer traffic, and its chief executive, David Goronkin, said in a court filing that the pressures had converged. Bloomberg reports the company also blamed California’s minimum wage law, and the New York Post says rising food costs were a factor.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Cerca Trova Restaurant Group filed for bankruptcy on Monday.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg
    Center
    Newsweek
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Cerca Trova operates 61 Outback Steakhouse restaurants, mostly in California.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Los Angeles Times
    Center
    Newsweek

  3. The company filed for Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, seeking relief from hundreds of millions in debt.

    One outletLos Angeles Times· Left

  4. The company said food and labor costs and declining customer traffic were among the pressures behind the filing.

    Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg
    Right
    New York Post

  5. Bloomberg reports the company also blamed California’s minimum wage law.

    One side only: the leftReported byLeft2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that an Outback Steakhouse franchisee filed for bankruptcy, with the company citing costs. Left headlines stress California labor costs and the minimum wage law, the center headline stresses the company’s size and a possible sale, and the right headline stresses food costs.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines name the franchisee and attribute the filing to costs; the Los Angeles Times leads with California labor costs, while Bloomberg leads with rising costs and the minimum wage law.

    SoCal Outback Steakhouse franchisee files for bankruptcy, citing California's labor costs
    Los Angeles TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    Newsweek’s single report, written in its own voice, leads with the franchisee’s status as the largest US Outback franchisee and frames the filing around 61 restaurants that could change hands.

    Outback Steakhouse's Largest US Franchisee Files for Bankruptcy
    NewsweekCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The New York Post’s headline names rising food costs as the cause and describes the franchisee as one of the biggest Outback owners in the country.

    Rising food costs prompt big Outback Steakhouse franchisee to file for bankruptcy
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 4 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • California labor costs and minimum wage law
  • franchisee’s size and history
  • Chapter 11 filing and debt
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Los Angeles TimesLeft

    SoCal Outback Steakhouse franchisee files for bankruptcy, citing California's labor costs

    San Diego-based Cerca Trova Restaurant Group, which once operated nearly 100 Outback Steakhouse restaurants, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday.

    Read at Los Angeles Times (opens in a new tab)
  • BloombergLeft

    Outback Steakhouse Franchisee Files Bankruptcy After Costs Swell

    Cerca Trova Restaurant Group, once the biggest franchisee of Outback Steakhouse restaurants, filed bankruptcy Monday, blaming factors including rising food costs and California’s minimum wage law for its demise.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • largest US franchisee status
  • 61 restaurants and a possible sale
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • rising food costs
  • size as one of the biggest Outback owners

Leaves out

  • California’s minimum wage law and labor costs

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Rising food costs prompt big Outback Steakhouse franchisee to file for bankruptcy

    One of the biggest owners of Outback Steakhouse restaurants in the country filed for bankruptcy this week, citing factors including rising food costs.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Bloomberg, Nov 2, 10:36 AM EST

  • Center

    1 day 22 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 4, 8:45 AM EST

  • Right

    1 day 6 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 3, 5:32 PM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BloombergLeftNov 2, 10:36 AM EST
  2. New York PostRightNov 3, 5:32 PM EST
  3. Los Angeles TimesLeftNov 4, 6:00 AM EST
  4. NewsweekCenterNov 4, 8:45 AM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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