Tuesday, March 15, 2022

[ALERT] Fuddruckers Returning to Metro Atlanta This Year

In a rather surprising move, Fuddruckers, which claims to serve guests the World's Greatest Hamburgers®, announced Monday that it will in the coming months open ten new locations in malls nationwide. The leases, all in Brookfield Properties owned malls, include two in metro Atlanta: Cumberland Mall in Atlanta and Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody.  Most of the units will be what the company referred to as "non-traditional locations," and will open within the respective mall's food courts.  According to the release, the company plans to "begin buildouts in the second quarter of the year with new location openings expected in the months following."

Created in 1979 by serial restaurateur Phil Romano (also the father of Romano’s Macaroni Grill and Eatzi’s), Fuddruckers enjoyed more than two decades of success, but fell on hard times over the past several years as new competitors sprang up and the chain was slow to innovate.  In June 2021, then parent company Luby's sold Fuddruckers to an affiliate of Fuddruckers' largest franchisee, Black Titan Enterprises, for about $18.5 million.  According to the new Brookfield agreement, there are currently 85 restaurants in the United States.  

Nicholas Perkins, who controls Black Titan Enterprises and Black Titan Franchise Systems, LLC, said of the agreement: "We are excited to partner with Brookfield Properties, expanding our geographic footprint across the country and making Fuddruckers accessible to an even greater number of guests."

Perkins added, "We are continually working to innovate and extend customer choice, especially for healthy options that customers crave. As such, we recently announced new plant-based offerings, which will be available at our new locations."  The addition of plant-based options is a departure from the brand's previous emphasis on meats (can you imagine Arby's offering plant-based meats?) where, in addition to fresh-never- frozen beef, the company also features Fudds Exotics which include Buffalo, Elk, Ostrich, or Domestic Wagyu Kobe.  

Metro Atlanta was once home to a dozen or so Fuddruckers, many of which were close to, but not in, area malls including those near Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Town Center at Cobb in Kennesaw, Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth, and Northlake Mall in Tucker, among others.  

On the "non-traditional" side, Fuddruckers also previously operated mini-restaurants within the former Home Depot at Lindbergh Plaza where The Dump is today, and within the former Andretti Indoor Karting & Games in Roswell, which in 2021 "moved" to Buford.  

Fuddruckers closed its Rome location on Riverside Parkway near State Mutual Stadium where the Rome Braves play, in March 2020.  

Currently, Fuddruckers has just two locations in Georgia, each located within TA Travel Centers in Commerce and in Savannah.  

The other new mall-based Fuddruckers are planned for North Carolina, California, Texas and Alabama, where the company will open in Hoover's Riverchase Galleria.  The release also indicated that in addition to the company's five mall-based locations planned for Texas, four "ghost kitchen" units are also coming to the Lone Star State including one that will open within a "Kitchen United" outpost in a Houston area Kroger store.  

Are you excited for the return of Fuddruckers to metro Atlanta?  What is your favorite quick serve burger joint?  Who do you think offers the best plant-based burger in metro Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below.  

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder what the price point will be? will it have the self-serve topping bar? what will differentiate it from Cheeseburger Bobby's?? The Fudd from the 1980s was better than Bobby's: fresh ground burgers, good amount of toppings, nicely buttered bun (may have been made in house I think). So I'm curious to see what the new Fudd is all about.

Anonymous said...

Malls aren't exactly a growth area for a lot of reasons so I will be honest when I say I don't understand why this is happening.

Anonymous said...

Only opening in malls??? That is an interesting plan.

HotlantaHobo said...

Perimeter location will compete head on with Shake Shack. The Shack will win as it’s the more contemporary style of burger. If Fudd’s is cheaper that might give it an edge.

Niel Loeb said...

The one in the TA Travel Center in Commerce works like a food court location, with only counter service and no toppings bar (although the latter might be due to the pandemic). That also means the menu is much smaller than at former standalone spots. And the burger patties are different and not as good.

CloseOTP said...

To some previous comments - yes, only malls as the agreement is with a mall owner, so there is a logic there... And to the person who says "malls are dead." No they're not. Have you been recently? They may not be growing anymore, but those that are surviving are thriving. Stop with the old mantra. And the Fudd vs. Shake Shack, Fudd will have the benefit of being in the food court, where one person wants a burger and one wants pizza and one wants...

As for the decision, I think it's a fantastic business decision. I liked Fuddruckers and I remember as a kid waiting in line at their new location in Westbury NY when they announced they ran out of buns and had to go to King Kullen to buy store bought! Anyways, I digress. Over the years, I rarely went even though I lived a mile from the Windy Hill location. But if I find myself in the mall, it's a great option - especially if the quality is there (which is the big if).

SB said...

I volunteer to hire the permit expediters.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see them back in ATL, as I have to stop in Greenville SC to get my Fudd burger fix currently.

Would prefer standalone location to mall food court honestly….

Unknown said...

I liked their hot dog and the great selection of toppings. Really miss this “experience”.

SB said...

We need status updates on this bi-weekly Eli.

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