Thomas Ward, the award-winning chef and owner behind Pig Floyd’s Urban Barbakoa (Website) and Pigzza (Website) in Orlando, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. Ward says the filing is about restructuring long-standing debt rather than closing up shop, and that both restaurants are continuing to operate.
Ward points to a combination of factors that piled up over time: inflation, SBA loans, predatory lenders charging high interest rates, and years of costly construction delays tied to permitting issues with the City of Orlando and the City of Winter Park. He described one particularly frustrating situation involving a retention pond dispute with then neighbor, Dan Bellows, two weeks before he was set to finish construction on the recently sold Pig Floyd’s Lee Road location, where the city sided against him and forced him to redo the work before he could proceed. The construction process dragged on for years, and the financial bleed during that period left him with debt he needed to formally address.
“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” Ward said. “Predatory lenders, SBA, and some credit card debt. The predatory lenders were charging big interest rates and not allowing us to get out.” He said that the situation has since been resolved through the Chapter 11 process.
Looking ahead, Ward is focused on both restaurants and has some new things in the works. A late-night pizza window is coming to one of the locations on Fridays and Saturdays, serving slices from 18-inch pizzas starting on March 27th and 28th. On Mondays, when both restaurants are closed for prep, Ward plans to set up a tent outside and sell smoked burgers. He’s also exploring adding a weekend breakfast service and potentially opening up wall space for a coffee component.
On the horizon is a new location at the Orlando International Airport, in Concourse B by Delta, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ward said the menu has been set and he’s focused on getting the right equipment in place to execute it properly.
Ward said 2026 and 2027 will be about strengthening what he already has before expanding further.
