Apparently it's a result of a VC firm refusing to pay their bills.

@ajroach42 Where I used to live, we had a Cincinnati Chili (specifically, Skyline) place close for carpet cleaning for the weekend, and just before that they paid all the employees cash because they said they were switching over to a new payroll system but it wasn't set up yet.

The owner not only skipped town, but skipped country, fleeing to UAE. Apparently, he also owned two other places and had in the months beforehand burnt those down for insurance money. The investigation was almost done and he could feel the noose tightening, so decided it was time to get out.

At least he paid his employees before ghosting?

@ajroach42 oof, which?