Thursday, June 20, 2019

[CLOSURE ALERT] Fuddruckers Has Closed on Windy Hill in Marietta

The Fuddruckers restaurant in Marietta has closed.  The restaurant, at 3000 Windy Hill Road in The Terrace at Windy Hill, is situated just off Powers Ferry Road, close to the Wildwood office park as well as SunTrust [Truist] Park.  Local sources tell ToNeTo Atlanta that the restaurant opened in the early to mid 80s and was one of the first locations in metro Atlanta. 
The restaurant emailed members of their "Fudds Club" early Thursday morning informing them of the closure.
"It is with great regret that we must inform you that our Fuddruckers Windy Hill [3000 Windy Hill Road Marietta, GA 30067] location is closed."
The approximately 9,000 square foot restaurant in Marietta is actively being marketed for lease with the hope that another restaurant operator will see value in the size and location of the space.  There are reportedly at least two restaurants that have shown interest in the space but no leases have been signed.  

Based in Houston, Texas and owned by Luby's, Inc., Fuddruckers was founded in 1979 by Philip J. Romano.  Serial restaurateur Romano is credited with the creation of more than a dozen restaurant concepts of which Fuddruckers, Romano's Macaroni Grill and EatZi's are likely his most well known.   Like EatZi's and Macaroni Grill, Fuddruckers, too, was once quite popular in metro Atlanta, but has significantly reduced its local presence over the past several years.  

ToNeTo Atlanta reported in March that the roughly 5,600 square foot Fuddruckers restaurant near Town Center at Cobb in Kennesaw was being marketed for lease.  The offering indicates that the restaurant is likely to close no later than August 31, but potentially as soon as July 31, at the culmination of their current lease. 

In the 90s, Fuddruckers, which proudly proclaims to be the home of the "World's Greatest Hamburgers," was quite popular, but the introduction of "better burger" concepts like Burger 21, BurgerFi, Farm Burger, Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Cheeseburger Bobby's, among others, put increasing pressure to more established but less innovative concepts.   

Following the closure of the Marietta and Kennesaw locations, Fuddruckers will have just four locations left in Georgia: on North Point Parkway in Alpharetta and on Riverside Parkway in Rome near State Mutual Stadium, home of the Rome Braves.  The company also operates a pair of restaurants within TA Travel Centers in Commerce and Richmond Hill, near Savannah.    

Previous Atlanta area Fuddruckers restaurants were on Merchants Way just off Satellite Boulevard in Duluth where Nak Won Sweet Rice Cafe is now, Perimeter Center Parkway in Dunwoody, which was demolished to make way for the huge new State Farm campus, Scenic Highway in Snellville where McDonald's built a new location, and LaVista Road near Northlake Mall in Tucker which is now a branch of CenterState Bank.   The Dunwoody, Tucker and Snellville restaurants closed in 2010 following a voluntary chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by the company following a change in ownership that saw Luby's, Inc. take control of the business.  

Fuddruckers also previously operated mini-restaurants within the former Home Depot at Lindbergh Plaza where The Dump is today, and within Andretti Indoor Karting & Games in Roswell. 

Elsewhere in Georgia the chain also previously had locations on Whitesville Road in Columbus as well as on Ogeechee Road and West Broughton Street in Savannah, among others.  

Are you sad to see yet another Fuddruckers close?  What is your favorite Fuddruckers memory?  What would you like to see open in place of the former Fuddruckers in Marietta?

Please share your thoughts below  

23 comments:

BK said...

I'll pour out some nacho cheese on the curb in remembrance... Was always our joke place to suggest for lunch at the office.

Ham said...

Ate there a few times with folks from work, but never really cared too much for it. There are really much better choices for lunch than Fudd's.

Anonymous said...

Haven't been there in years. Outdated and ugly inside.

Anonymous said...

Forgot they even existed. Not many left. Times, they are a changin’. Wonder who will last longer, Fuddrucker’s or Sears.

Unknown said...

Have eaten there since 1993, and it is with Sadness they are ceasing Operations there.

The Memories of a Hamburger my way will last many years.

Anonymous said...

Oh BK, you're such and elitist and so much cooler than the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

Omg! put a Burger King there in its place!

Arturo Mendes said...

I like how FR was riffed on in Idiocracy.

Anonymous said...

Wow - I took my kids there about once a week back in the late 80s/early 90s. It was SO LOUD in there I never worried about them bothering other guests like in most places, lol. Sad they closed but haven't been there in 20+ years so I suppose some of that is on my shoulders!

Carl said...

I thought it closed a long time ago...

BK said...

@ Anon June 20,2019 7:49PM

Wasn't trying to be elitist at all. I ate there plenty of times. It was more of a running joke in our office along the lines of listing all the typical chain places around like 'Flingers' and 'Tchotckes' in Office Space that's all I meant.

Anonymous said...

You couldn't beat the burger because you topped it off yourself. There are some nice updated ones in South Carolina off I 85 serving a great product (just ate there couple months ago).

Anonymous said...

@ 11:29 Burger King? Absolutely disgusting! You should be thankful your comment is anonymous as not to embarrass yourself publically!

Anonymous said...

I'll always remember the first time Jack took me there on our first 'date' back in 2009 and made me save those sliced jalapenos for our 'dessert'. Took days for the swelling to go down from them. It was so indicative of our relationship to come.
-Sprout

Anonymous said...

That was one of our favorite restaurants, and easily one of the best burgers, hands down, in Atlanta. We will sorely miss it.

Unknown said...

Our Meetup group played card there for several years. I will sorely miss the ribeye steak sandwich and the scrumptious onion rings.

<> So long my dear friend.

Anonymous said...

The original location in atlanta was on Holcomb Bridge Road in Peachtree Corners, at the corner of Jimmy Carter and Holcomb Bridge.

Anonymous said...

Burger King sounds delicious!

Roy said...

Now the North Point location has closed, and I haven't been by the Towne Center location to see if it is still there, but I really liked them. They fiddled too much with the basic format and I haven't been but once every few years lately. Cheeseburger Bobby's essentially has the old format with maybe not the best execution, but it is a decent substitute.

As far as I know, the first Fuddrucker's in the Atlanta area was at Holcomb Bridge and Jimmy Carter Blvd, in what is now the Firehouse Subs building. A friend insisted I take her there in the mid 80's and I was hooked.

RICHARD said...

I am a hamburger purist. Best burgers in the world, cooked to order medium, 2/3 pounder or 1 pound. Loved the availability of condiments. Went by with son on September 10th to sadly discover Windy Hill closed.

Anonymous said...

disappointed. like to hit fuddy's up a couple times i'm in town.
i think my stay just got shortened.
...from 4 days to 2.

beer-battered fish n chips, and those BB O-rings good enuf to grease a space shuttle. also, only 2 words i gotta say in a burger debate... "got ELK?!?"
they are the meter by which all others get measured.

will be in town in mid-march. figgers then they'd close, as its likely my last visit to the ATL. badlanta syndrome, i guess. :*(

Anonymous said...

We are living in some sad times. To me Fuddruckers is one of the very best places to get a fresh burger and Fixins. I guess people are too cheap to spend good money on a good burger

Nicki said...

What about TGIF or Chili's

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