A major restaurant chain that formerly was headquartered in Chattanooga has filed for bankruptcy and laid off its nearly 18,000 employees.

Craftworks Holdings, operator of Big River Grille and a host of other restaurants, had moved in April 2019 to Nashville.

Craftworks is the leading operator and franchisor of steakhouses, brewery and craft-beer focused casual dining restaurants in the U.S., with 338 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia and abroad in Taiwan.

Its largest brands include Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, Logan's Roadhouse, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant and Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery.

At one time it operated the Bluewater Grille in Chattanooga.

Craftworks initially furloughed most of its workforce in March when the coronavirus began shutting down dining establishments.

It also terminated employee benefit plans.

Craftworks at one time had its headquarters on Main Street on the Southside of Chattanooga.

The Big River Grilles "temporarily" closed March 18.