A southern dining chain has abruptly closed all its remaining locations.
According to multiple reports including the Tennessean, O’Charley’s Bar and Restaurant closed all its company locations on Sept. 9, ending the restaurant’s 55-year run in the American south.
The Nashville-based chain and subsidiary Restaurant Growth Services haven’t confirmed the closure and a When spokesperson told Nation’s Restaurant News they “do not have anyone from the company available for comment at this time.”
But widespread reports including by the major Tennessee newspaper said that several employees at restaurants across Tennessee confirmed the news.
WKRN-TV in Nashville also spoke with restaurant managers at six of the eight locations in Middle Tennessee who confirmed staff at all locations were notified the restaurants will close. Closings were also reported in Ohio.
O’Charley’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram also appear to have been deleted.
The company, which specialized in Southern-style comfort food like BBQ, hand-breaded chicken tenders, steaks and fresh seafood, has 44 remaining locations in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The chain once had nearly 250 restaurants, but underperforming locations have been closing in recent years. Some franchised locations may remain open, according to the Tennessean.
Founded in 1971 by Charlie Watkins, the chain was once a staple across the southern US and especially in Tennessee.
In 2012, Fidelity National Financial acquired O’Charley’s, and it became part of American Blue Ribbon Holdings. In 2018, it split from American Blue Ribbon and joined Cannae Holdings, which owns Restaurant Growth Services.
Cannae Holdings, announced in its latest quarterly results that O’Charley’s “continued to experience challenges in maintaining its traffic,” which resulted in a 13% decline in sales in the last quarter.
