Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” files for bankruptcy
<p>Soupman Inc, the New York City food company made famous by Seinfeld, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, weeks after a top company executive was charged with tax evasion.</p>
<p>Last month, federal prosecutors charged the company’s former chief financial officer with 20 counts of failing to pay federal income taxes, Medicare and Social Security to employees.</p>
<p>Soupman licenses the recipes, likeness and name of Al Yeganeh, the man who inspired the “Soup Nazi” character in the television show. Soupman restaurants operate in the New York area and they also sell soups to grocery stores and online.</p>
<p><img width="496" height="279" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/a9690e155854042a6d8751f33bdb8490" alt="Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Larry Thomas in Seinfeld." style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p>
<p>“The combination of legacy liabilities and recent company developments have made it necessary to seek bankruptcy protection,” Soupman chief executive Jamie Karson said in a statement.</p>
<p>The company has lined up a $US2 million bankruptcy loan to keep its business running during the case.</p>
<p>A Soupman representative declined to comment on the bankruptcy case.</p>
<p>Yeganeh opened his Manhattan soup store in 1984. His fame spread after the 1995 Seinfeld episode in which an angry soup vendor, played by actor Larry Thomas, yells at customers standing in long lines for his legendary soup.</p>
<p>The phrase “No soup for you!” has since become a pop culture reference.</p>
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