Forsythia, the Michelin-recommended French restaurant at 233 Chestnut St. in Old City, closed for the weekend, but chef-owner Christopher Kearse says the pause is temporary and the restaurant is expected to reopen this week. The closure comes as Univest Bank & Trust Co. seeks nearly $925,000 from Kearse and companies tied to his businesses.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Univest filed two confessions of judgment against Kearse and his companies in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court on Oct. 21. The filings seek repayment of three Small Business Administration loans totaling more than $815,000, plus interest, late fees, and attorney commissions. CWKearse LLC operates Forsythia, and FrenchAF LLC operates Known Associates, Kearse’s Washington Square West cocktail bar.
A confession of judgment can allow a lender to obtain a judgment against a borrower without a hearing after a default; by signing, borrowers effectively waive their right to due process. The practice is banned in many states but remains legal in Pennsylvania, where lenders can pursue collateral through measures such as income garnishment or liens on a borrower’s business. Kearse told the Inquirer he is current on payments for all three loans and said the Forsythia sign referred to a weekend closure, not a permanent shutdown.
The Loan History Behind the Filings
The filings trace three loans to Kearse’s companies. CWKearse LLC borrowed $550,000 through an SBA loan in June 2019, shortly before Forsythia opened at its Chestnut Street address. Payments on that loan were deferred three times between March 2020 and March 2022, followed by a loan modification agreement in May 2024. The filing lists more than $184,000 in outstanding principal. A separate $150,000 SBA loan to CWKearse LLC was taken out that same month, with more than $131,000 still outstanding, according to the filing.
FrenchAF LLC took out the third loan, a $500,000 SBA loan, in May. According to Univest’s filing, Kearse and CWKearse LLC personally guaranteed it, and neither Kearse nor his companies made required payments before or after an Oct. 5 demand letter. Kearse told the Inquirer the two older loans have since been resolved: “We all caught up and refinanced.” The newspaper reported that a lawyer for Univest did not respond to a request for comment.
Reopening Plans for Both Spots
Kearse said Forsythia is expected to reopen Tuesday; the restaurant has buyouts scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday and will then resume normal operations. Forsythia’s Resy page currently shows no reservation options for the rest of the year. Kearse says the closures of both businesses are temporary.
Known Associates, the 1,500-square-foot cocktail bar at 941 Spruce St. that Kearse opened in June with design firm PS & Daughters, has been closed since September. It’s slated to reopen Thursday with a new menu. The bar marked the second collaboration between Kearse and PS & Daughters, who first worked together on Forsythia back in 2019, when the restaurant debuted with a classical French menu, as Philadelphia magazine noted at the time.
Stolen Checks and a Pending Assault Case
Kearse had previously attributed Known Associates’ closure to staffing woes, payroll disputes, and more than $30,000 in stolen checks. He provided the Inquirer an undated document alleging that fraud in July totaled $64,200 in stolen and altered checks, which he said led to late payments and restricted access to his bank accounts. As reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, he filed a police report on July 16 stating that a checkbook was missing from his business office and that an $8,000 check had been cashed without his permission; he told the paper he could not identify who may have written that check. The Philadelphia Police Department said the investigation remains ongoing, and Kearse said his bank has since reimbursed most of the stolen money.
The Univest filings were made two days before Kearse’s scheduled court appearance on separate criminal charges. A former Forsythia manager accused him of grabbing him and trying to trip him; Kearse faces simple-assault and harassment charges, the Inquirer reported in earlier coverage. The court date has since been rescheduled for Nov. 12, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Part of a Rocky Year for Philly Restaurants
Forsythia’s planned reopening and Known Associates’ scheduled return with a new menu offer near-term updates for Kearse’s two businesses. Whether those plans will steady the restaurants remains to be seen.
What court rules and industry data show
Pennsylvania court rules provide that a petition for relief from a judgment by confession is governed by Rule 2959, according to Pennsylvania Courts. That rule reference does not establish that Kearse filed such a petition, or what notice or enforcement steps apply in his case. For broader industry context, the National Restaurant Association’s 2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract found that salaries and wages, including benefits, represented a median 36.5% of sales in 2024 among fullservice respondents. That national benchmark does not establish Forsythia’s costs or financial condition, according to the National Restaurant Association.
