Multiple locations of quick-service chain Hardee’s have closed in recent days, according to local reporting from Kansas, Missouri, South Carolina, and Georgia.
All three of the locations in Wichita, Kan., have closed, according to the Wichita Eagle. It said the city had been without Hardee’s for 20 years prior to January of 2016 when Capstone Restaurant Group, a multi-concept franchisee based in Boulder, Colo., opened there.
The Eagle reported that Capstone also had apparently closed three Dunkin’ locations on the Kansas Turnpike.
Additionally, a Hardee’s at 200 S. Providence Road in Columbia, Mo., closed, although another one on 2016 Paris Road has remained open. An employee reached by phone at that location said she did not know why the other unit had closed.
The Columbia Missourian reported that its Hardee’s locations are owned by Summit Restaurant Holdings LLC. That company is also based in Boulder and lists the same telephone number as Capstone. Multiple calls to that number were not answered, and the voice mailbox was full.
A spokesperson for Hardee’s parent company CKE Restaurant Holdings, based in Franklin, Tenn., told NRN, “CKE Restaurants … is aware that Summit Restaurant Holdings, LLC, the parent company of a number of our independently owned and operated franchisees … has announced the closing of some restaurants, and that Summit is working diligently to ensure that the impact to guests, employees, vendors, and communities is minimized.”
She 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."
The restaurant industry has faced multiple challenges since the pandemic started, beginning with government-mandated restaurant closures, followed by occupancy restrictions. Then employees who had been laid off or furloughed in 2020 either chose new fields to work in or quit the workforce altogether in what was called The Great Resignation.
Possibly related to that, a Reddit post discussing the recent closure of a Hardee’s location in Athens, Ga., elicited a comment that the restaurant had been severely understaffed.
Although labor and supply chain issues have eased, restaurants still face high costs of goods. Modified commuter habits had negatively impacted breakfast, which is at the heart of Hardee’s business, but recent data from consumer research firm Circana indicate that the daypart has fully recovered.
A Fort Mill, S.C., Hardee’s also closed recently, and local media reported that that location is company-owned, but CKE did not respond to a query about that at press time.
CKE, a privately held company, also operates and franchises the Carl’s Jr. brand, which is primarily in the west, while Hardee’s is mostly in the Midwest and the Southeast. All told it is the parent company of around 3,800 restaurants, of which around 2,100 units are Hardee’s.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]