Hardee's has in recent weeks closed at least thirteen fourteen restaurants in the greater metro Atlanta area. Many of the restaurants were only a few years old and were part of a recent return to market led by franchisee Capstone Restaurant Group, and its affiliate, Summit Restaurant Holdings, LLC, a Boulder, Colorado-based firm and one of the largest franchisees of the brand nationwide.
Several of the restaurants were operating under limited hours and limited service - with some only open until 4PM and offering Drive Thru only.
Many of the restaurants were new builds specifically for Hardee's such as the restaurant on Mountain Industrial Boulevard in Tucker which opened in 2018, while others, like the one on Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell which was a former El Pollo Loco, were conversions of existing buildings. A Hardee's in Dallas, for example, opened in 2016 on the site of a former Wendy's.
What made matters confusing for us and no doubt for any would be patron, is that all of the shuttered restaurants have been removed from the Capstone corporate website but are still active on the Hardee's website. If not for our report and investigation, it would be easy to think that all of the confirmed closed restaurants were open and operating with hours, third party delivery and location details still present on the corporate Hardee's website.
Hardee's, which got its start in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in 1960, is today based in Franklin, Tennessee, and like so many restaurant franchises, is owned by Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital Group. (Hardee's and sibling brand Carl's Jr. are held under the CKE Restaurants Holdings LLC umbrella.)
Although no reason was given for the closures, the Georgia closures were seemingly part of a broader move by franchisees of the brand nationwide. Media reports in Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina suggest that another seven restaurants were shuttered in recent days in those states.
The Wichita Eagle reports that one Hardee's in Derby, Kansas three in Wichita and one in Topeka all shuttered earlier this week, with employees blindsided by their abrupt closures.
A single Hardee’s in Columbia, Missouri also closed earlier this week according to a report by the Columbia Missourian. The paper reported that its Hardee’s locations are owned by Summit Restaurant Holdings LLC. A spokesperson for Hardee’s parent company CKE Restaurant Holdings, told the Missourian that the closure in Columbia “is part of SRH’s efforts to re-position its restaurant portfolios in light of the challenges that remain in the industry."
A Fort Mill, South Carolina, Hardee’s located at 101 Tom Hall Street that had reportedly been a local mainstay since the 1970s also closed. The Herald reports that the restaurant was corporately-owned.
Signage at the Lilburn and Tucker restaurants thanks customers for their "many years of patronage" despite the restaurants having opened in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Following the closures, Hardee's still operates several dozen restaurants across Georgia but few in what many would consider metro Atlanta. Most of the chain's Georgia presence is in smaller, rural communities where the restaurants are popular gathering spots for ROMEOs: Retired Older Men Eating Out - a term we learned from Sherrod "Pete" Patterson, a longtime friend of ToNeTo Atlanta, who passed away in 2021.
Remaining area restaurants include those on Bouldercrest Road, just inside the perimeter, Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain Highway in Stone Mountain, and Floyd Road in Mableton, among others.
The thirteen Georgia locations that we confirmed have closed in recent weeks are:
1727 Mountain Industrial Blvd. - Tucker
5335 Lawrenceville Highway - Lilburn (Less than a mile away is a former Bojangles that closed in 2019 after about four years in business.)
3069 Cobb Parkway - Kennesaw
891 Holcomb Bridge Road - Roswell
2686 Hamilton Mill Road - Buford
2520 Delk Road - Marietta
1700 Old Pendergrass Road - Jefferson
3075 Atlanta Highway - Athens
4365 Lexington Road - Athens
7940 Senoia Road - Fairburn
4360 Atlanta Highway - Loganville
1266 Merchants Drive - Dallas
104 South Tennessee Street - Cartersville
100 Hazel Mosley Road - Jasper
A Hardee's in the Columbus, Georgia neighborhood of Midland closed this past December, while outposts in Claxton and Statesboro closed this past April and May, respectively, according to Grice Connect.
The closure of the Hardee's restaurants in Georgia comes as Whataburger muscles into the market with three locations having recently debuted and a fourth in Cumming slated to open soon. Overall, the Texas-based chain plans to open at least 50 restaurants in the state by 2030.
Metro Atlanta is littered with long since closed former Hardee's restaurants, with several still standing, but as other restaurants.
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| A classic 1970s era Hardee's restaurant |
Willy's Mexicana Grill operates out of a onetime Hardee's on Howell Mill Road as does Fresh to Order on Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb, El Huarache Veloz on Roswell Road in Marietta and Zaxby's on Bullsboro Road in Newnan. Surcheros, a growing Mexican franchise, opened a new flagship location on Main Street in Alpharetta in what one reader indicated was a roughly 95% renovation of a onetime Hardee's that had closed in 2020.
Cookout on Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker and soon to open Andy's Frozen Custard on North Druid Hills Road in Toco Hills both replaced former 70s era Hardee's restaurants. ToNeTo Atlanta also reported this past November that a new Chipotle is coming to Duluth on the site of a onetime Hardee's.
Interestingly, Hardee's previously opened in a converted former Donatos on Towne Lake Parkway in Woodstock, but the restaurant closed several years ago and today operates as a Chipotle which also makes use of the pizza chain's original building.
Are you surprised to see so many Hardee's close? When was the last time you ate at a Hardee's restaurant? What would you like to see open in place of the Atlanta area Hardee's that have closed?
Please share your thoughts below.
59 comments:
A lot of the Hardee's restaurants are like the chicken restaurants they won't open the dining room and this is hurting them. People that don't want to do take out are going some place else's to eat.i don't eat fried chicken (out) 1/2 as much as I use to.
I can just imagine how many fast food burger joints will close when In-n-Out burger starts to open around Atlanta.
In general, Hardee’s has the most unhealthy burgers with too many calories and other bad stuff. Their food has no real flavor. And they tend to hire the rude and less proficient people that other chains won’t hire. The only thing good about Hardee’s is their breakfast biscuits. So it’s no surprise they are closing so many of them.
Perhaps some of the Hardee's locations could become Tim Horton's. Particularly the one located on Holcomb Bridge in Roswell.
Agree with BigRedDog regarding the health factor of Hardee's. However, I certainly would like more fast food options ITP, and I'm sure that Hardee's does offer healthier options I haven't eaten at Wendy's in 40 years because of their crappy service and substandard food. (I wouldn't eat there now because I find their commercials overly annoying.) The last time I ate at McDonalds (during the lunch rush, no less) the food was lukewarm and lackluster that I thought they need to go the way of Wendy's. There is no Burger King anywhere near me, and I refuse to engage in the insanity that is CFA. I wonder what impact Whataburger would have on the market, but I see from this website they have a lot of salivating groupies. That leaves Krystal, which is a little hard to get to.
Hardee's is one of those chains folks have forgotten because they closed so many locations in the Atlanta area in the late 90s and early 00s.
With them closing this many locations, it's a potential opportunity for a chain like Whataburger or CookOut to snap up these sites if they don't have a location in the area, especially if its' a newer building.
The Chick-Fil-A in downtown Decatur is a former Hardee's, but it has been there for a long time.
Aside from breakfast, Tucker was extremely slow on drive through: they did so little business that they had to cook everything to order. Expect a 10 minute wait if you ordered a burger.
However they did have very good biscuits in the morning. I'll miss those.
I like it when they had a Big Shef! Like Burger Chef. And a Roy Rogers Ros beef!
Hardee's has gotten so expensive and the food is good but not for the price and long drive. Happy that Whataburger is close! They will never open ITP BTW. 24 hours doesn't mean 24 hours of crime.
LOL, I love the guy who wishes there were more fast food options ITP, then immediately describes how bad service is at the FF options currently ITP. I got news for you sir, don't expect any new options ITP because the ITP workforce is lazy and undependable.
I’ll tell you what I’d like to see in our town of Woodstock, Ga. , is a Lou Malnatti’s Deep Dish Pizza from Chicago. We have every restaurant imaginable in our city including the new What A Burger. Heck, we have 3 Chik Filet’s and 4 McDonald’s, and a slew of fab restaurants in our downtown.
Hardee’s hasn’t been open in several years. Prove me wrong.
@ April 23, 2023 at 4:03 PM
Lou Malnatti’s Deep Dish Pizza from Chicago.
Not a fan of the pizza BUT they have great spaghetti and I still think about it to this very day! LoL so yes please open a restaurant in Woodstock or Marietta! Delicious!
I believe you can also add the Jasper, GA location to the list of recent closures (100 HAZEL MOSLEY RD) Or so I'm told by numerous friends & family when this topic came up last week.
Alex, you are correct regarding the work force. But the main reason is real estate costs. Unless a company or franchisee owns the parcel outright, rent costs are astronomical. And even if they do own the parcel, taxes can be a huge factor. Pretty sure why there are no Ingles in an urban location.
Unpopular opinion - Close all the Hardees and put Donato's in all of their locations. Donato's takeover!
And to Alex, please explain to us why the "ITP Workforce" is "Lazy and Undependable"?
Hardees should just be a biscuit shop. Take what you do well and expound on it.
Maybe Jack in the box can take over those locations 😁
Martin's
The better headline would have been “Hardee's Has Quietly Operated More Than Dozen Restaurants in Georgia”
I moved to the state right before the pandemic and looked into whether any hardees were around and did see a few. I enjoy a flame grilled burger and not a whole lot of places have them. Sadly, I've never even tried to go because it's not really that close and I'll probably get a cold burger. Seems like their time has come.
@ J ... April 24, 2023 at 11:14 AM
What do you mean? I work itp and during lunch I'm always faced with rude counter service ... taco bell, Wendy's, subway, and let's not forget McDonalds. They are always on the cell phone or checking it before they prepare the bag. Act like I'm interrupting their day with my order. McDonalds tells me to use the kiosks because of no show employees and they are short handed. And when they are present you question hygiene. Tables are dirty. Ice machine is out. Condiment station is dirty. Bathroom is out of paper and sometimes soap. Parking lot needs to be cleaned. Look around.
Pretty sure no one shops at Ingles😂.
It’s pretty obvious why he said that. He’s a racist.
But if you go just on the other side of 285 its like 1959 again, with pleasant service, clean tables and the sandwiches are 5 cents?
it's gotten bad everywhere
@ April 25, 2023 at 4:00 PM
I'm a black girl and you sound racist to only think that black people work in these positions. I have also experienced bad service itp. It's not a color issue so look at it colorblind. Where does it say black people or anything else about race in the comments? Always got to make it about racism.
@ Anonymous at 4:00 p.m.
Calling someone or something racist when they point out FACTS is bs. Not everything is racist. Some things are observable facts.
Last time I went to Hardee’s the ghetto girl at the counter took my order, took my $20 bill, and didn’t give me change, when I told her I gave her a $20, she said I have her a $10. I said why would you take a $10 and close the cash drawer if the meal is $11. Then she backtracked and gave me change. Ghetto, ghetto, ghetto, ghetto.. that’s all I can say.
If you have a brain between your two eyes and have the ability to think critically (a skill no longer taught in public schools or in college btw) you'd understand how lacking the service is ITP. But since most people under 50 lack the ability of critical thinking, they immediately claim racism, even though race was never brought up. Blame public education.
So am I. And I disagree with you.
What makes the service bad on the inside of a circular highway, and are you saying just on the other side of it its excellent? Have you eaten at every restaurant ITP and OTP? How do you explain it? You can’t. Because the people who say that really mean one thing. And it has nothing to do with age or school. That’s hate.
Well, answer this question. Why when you walk in a fast food restaurant, not only in Atlanta, but Gwinnett, Cobb, Rockdale, or North Fulton County are 98% of the employees black?
Sorry to learn about the closures. Hopefully the staff will be able to obtain employment in a few days.
Most of the Hardee's had a managing partner who oversaw a number of stores and the enjoyed the profit.
The parent for the stores here in Georgia was in Colorado.
As to other burger joints taking over the locations, most may not have enough property for the building, parking lot and double drive through.
The chain cut back in advertising and this included print and television. COVID may of been the final nail.
@ April 24, 2023 at 12:33 PM
Exactly. Expand on the biscuit business, maybe make it run from 6 AM to 2 PM. Advertise. Just not those Hardees girls from yesteryear...you need more than that to sell anything these days.
Well... almost anything.
Yes it is. 🤪
Summit Restaurant Holdings, the franchisee, has now declared bankruptcy.
Every single one of those restaurants is in a high crime area. Even the one on "Homeless" Holcomb Bridge Rd in Roswell.
Lol, the brain is not located between the eyes! Now that is a ghetto education!
And they will simply open back up under a different name, go bankrupt again and rinse and repeat.
Ingles closed urban locations because of shoplifting. The cost of loss prevention and lawsuits was not worth it. They were smart and stuck with safe and productive rural locations.
I LOVE their loaded omelet biscuit and always wished they sold them all day long. Probably best for my heart that they didn't, but I'm really hating that do many are closing. Doesn't bode well for my loaded omelet biscuit fix.
I LOVE their loaded omelet biscuit and always wished they served them all day long. Probably best for my heart that they didn't, but I'm concerned about the recent closings. Doesn't bode well for my loaded omelet biscuit fix.
You don't know this person. You are assuming something without knowledge. You are the racist.
The Hardee's in Barnesville closed its doors for good yesterday.
Add Barnesville, GA to your list. Ours closed for good Sunday
Hardee’s in Barnesville GA closed this week also
Hey, BigRedDog, where did you get the scoop on In-n-Out coming to Atlanta. That would be a big step up for us!
Hayesville NC and Hiawassee Ga locations of Hardees both closed this year also.. These were only a few miles apart.
Yes they need to close Hardees
I am surprised any Hardees is open.
I agree they need to close all Hardees
Hardees in Denver NC needs to close dirty restaurant No business
I am not surprised they are a dirty store and not managed professionally . l hope they all go out of business The Denver NC location Conover NC fo not do much business should already be closed
All Hardees needs to close sloppy dirty stores rude customer service. Denver NC should already be closed no business. And Conover NC too
Hardees in Denver NC should already be closed no business lousy customer service dirty dtore
Need to close all Hardees in Denver NC ,Conover Granite Falls Hildebran NC no business
Many Hardee's in the Macon and Warner Robins areas are now closed, too.
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