FFL Enters Next Phase of Restructuring to Ensure Long-Term Viability

On April 21st, 2026 Fork Food Lab entered its next phase of restructuring to ensure long-term viability and sustainability by filing a voluntary petition for chapter 11 bankruptcy relief.

“It has been a challenging few months at Fork Food Lab, with uncertainty for members and our larger Fork community,” said Corinne Tompkins, Interim Executive Director of Fork Food Lab. “We’re eager to move through this next phase to put us on the path to sustainability so we can continue to serve members long into the future. Most importantly, it will be business-as-usual for members during and after this process completes.”

Today, a local investor group led by Justin Alfond is helping to support Fork through its restructuring to reduce debts and improve the fiscal health of the operation. This follows another local investor group stepping in to save the Fork Food Lab building from foreclosure in January, ending months of uncertainty.

Once the bankruptcy process is complete, Fork will continue its mission to provide aspiring food entrepreneurs space to build and support their businesses. 

Q&A

• Why file for bankruptcy?

  • Over the last few years, Fork Food Lab had accumulated a significant level of debt, which threatened Fork’s ability to stay operational. Taking the next step of filing for bankruptcy allows Fork Lab to restructure this debt to make Fork viable.  

• What does this mean for the future of Fork?

  • In the short-term, Fork will work with the court, current stakeholders and new investors to chart a path to long-term sustainability. Fork will emerge more sustainable to fulfill its mission to be a place where aspiring food entrepreneurs can build and support their businesses to contribute to the local food economy.

• Will anything change for members day-to-day?

  • No. Members will still have access to the space and will be able to continue conducting business as usual both during and after this process.