Thursday, January 2, 2020

[ADIOS] Fuzzy's Taco Shop Closes Final Atlanta Area Franchise

The lone Atlanta area franchise of Fuzzy's Taco Shop has closed.  The 3,400 square foot restaurant, located at 5325 Windward Parkway in Alpharetta, opened September 2017 and closed at the end of 2019.  Fuzzy's is a counter-service Baja-style Mexican eatery offering a variety of tacos, burritos, salads, nachos, bowls and other related fare.    
ToNeTo Atlanta visited the restaurant in mid November at which point we were informed our dinner would be the last they served as they were reducing their already limited hours to lunch only.

Fuzzy's started in Forth Worth, Texas in 2001 and has since expanded to more than 150 locations nationwide.  The Alpharetta franchise was opened by George Lebus, his fourth Fuzzy's at that time.  Lebus had in April 2013 opened another Fuzzy's in Statesboro near Georgia Southern University but shuttered the restaurant in December 2015 due to sales that "flattened out" after "huge sales" at opening.

A separate Fuzzy's opened in Snellville at The Shoppes  at Webb Gin in late 2015 but by 2018 had closed.  Another Fuzzy's was to open at the corner of Sugarloaf Parkway and Satellite Boulevard at Sugarloaf Centre but never did.   

The last remaining Georgia Fuzzy's is on North Lumpkin Street in Athens.  

Fuzzy's is just the latest example of out of an market franchise coming to metro Atlanta and not having success.  It would be unfair to credit all franchise failures with any one thing but based on the mediocre food, poor hygiene and lax service we experienced on our November visit, we're pretty confident those factors contributed to this closure.  

In addition to Fuzzy's closure, Which Wich also closed its Alpharetta outpost at the end of the year.  The 1,800 restaurant was located in Center Stage at Windward - 5250 Windward Parkway - and had been in business since 2010.  Signage on the restaurant's door indicates that it's closed due to "technical issues" but there is no indication that a reopening is imminent.  

Are you surprised that both Fuzzy's and Which Wich closed their Alpharetta locations?  Why do you think so many franchises struggle to find success in metro Atlanta?  What would you like to see replace Fuzzy's and Which Wich in Alpharetta?

Please share your thoughts below.  

6 comments:

BigRedDogATL said...

Glad that Fuzzy's is closed. It was overpriced, had slow service and the food wasn't that good. There are way too many of these types of restaurants in the area, so it won't be missed.

Anonymous said...

Gosh - we're at a point where people are happy to see a place close. I've never been to Fuzzys, but if all that BigRed said is true, well there are so many other places he could go to. But to be "glad" that people lost jobs and a small business owner lost money is sad.

Anonymous said...

I would bet BigRed isn't glad about those things - maybe just glad that space opened up for a potential better option?

scgirl said...

These chains are running the delicious local places out of business. I ignore these lousy places in favor of those who really care -the independent.

Anonymous said...

grow some thick skin anonymous! competition thins out the weak ones! people are such babies now!

Anonymous said...

@Anon @1:32AM - Clearly reading comprehension isn't your strong suit. The comment is about the happiness of a business failing. My skin is just fine.

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