North Beach: Rocky times may be ahead for Fior d'Italia, the institution that bills itself as America's oldest Italian restaurant: last week, owner Robert Larive filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The official documents are public record/available online (and above), and one of the "aliases" mentioned for Larive is Fior d' Italia, Inc., which doesn't exactly bode well for its outlook. Furthermore, Fior's food vendors—i.e, creditors—have already received letters to write off any debt the restaurant accrued.
Our legal pals tell us that the fate of the restaurant probably lies in the ownership structure details, but if any legal types would like to chime in with more knowledge, please do. In its 123 years since opening in 1886, Fior has had three ownership regimes; Larive took over the restaurant in 2005. Here's hoping Fior survives this tough spell. Story developing...
