Federal Donuts, Goldie Closing 6 Philadelphia Restaurants

PHILADELPHIA — Three Federal Donuts & Chicken shops and three Goldie restaurants in Philadelphia will close by the end of the month, according to a spokesperson for their embattled parent company, CooknSolo.

Founded by Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook, CookNSolo owns and franchises several restaurants in the Philly area. The company's portfolio includes two local chains: Federal Donuts and Goldie, which specializes in falafel.

CookNSolo plans to close six restaurants overall by the end of the month, a company spokesperson told Patch:

• Federal Donuts: at 1909 Samson St. (already closed), 21 S 12th St., and 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Goldie: 1218 Samson St., Franklin's Table (3401 Walnut St.), and inside Whole Foods (2101 Pennsylvania Ave.).

Goldie's only remaining location will be at 19th and Samson. Federal Donuts will have eight locations scattered throughout Eastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey.

CookNSolo also owns several Israeli restaurant's around the city, which are unaffected by the closures.

"Due to uncertain economic conditions, CookNSolo has made the difficult decision to close six Philadelphia-area locations of Federal Donuts & Chicken and Goldie at the end of the month," the spokesperson told Patch.

In recent years, CookNSolo's restaurants have been targeted by a pro-Palestinian boycott campaign. Solomonov and Cook are both vocally pro-Israel, and activists have criticized the restaurant group for support that has included donating over $100,000 to a medical nonprofit that has supplied Israel's military with protective and medical gear.

A CookNSolo spokesperson declined to comment on the boycott and whether it played a factor in the restaurant closures.