A Hardee’s Restaurants franchisee that owns four locations in North Florida filed for bankruptcy liquidation after closing all 77 of its locations across nine states, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
ARC Burger LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, citing “a period of significant financial instability.” The company was sued by Hardee’s Restaurants last year over alleged missed franchisee payments and other contract obligations.
However, biscuit lovers shouldn’t get too discouraged. At least two of the closed Florida locations are hiring again under job listings describing them as “now corporate owned.”
The franchisee faced over $29 million in debt, court records show. ARC’s debts in Florida were more modest than in some other states, with more than $80,000 in bills to various companies, about $7,500 of debts to the cities of Bonifay, Chattahoochee, Chipley, and Graceville, $10,500 to FPL, and nearly $50,000 owed to the Florida Department of Revenue, court documents show.
ARC Burger operated locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, and Wyoming. In 2023, the company acquired 80 Hardee’s locations from Summit Restaurant Holdings after that company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Which Hardee’s closed in Florida?
The following locations, all in North Florida and the Panhandle, were listed in the bankruptcy filing and currently show as “temporarily closed” on Hardee’s website:
Will the Florida Hardee’s reopen?
As of April 21, job listings at SimplyHired.com and Indeed.com are looking for shift leaders at the former Chipley and Graceville locations. Both listings prominently state the restaurants are “now corporate owned.”
Last week, Fast Company reported that ARC Burger Hardee’s locations in at least three states have reopened. A Hardee’s spokesperson told the site they have reopened 15 locations in the Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina markets as Hardee’s corporate restaurants.
“This is part of a broader reopening strategy by which Hardee’s expects to assume ownership and resume operations for more than 40 recently closed locations that were previously independently owned and operated by ARC Burger,” the spokesperson told Fast Company.
A list of potential reopening locations was not provided.
What is Hardee’s?
A fast food restaurant famous for its made-from-scratch biscuits, 100% Angus Thickburgers, and hearty breakfasts, Hardee’s first opened up in Greenville, North Carolina, in 1960. The chain was acquired in 1997 by CKE Restaurants Inc., which also owned Carl’s Jr.
Where can I find a Hardee’s near me?
There are more than 1,500 Hardee’s locations in the U.S, according to data site ScrapeHero. There are about 90 Hardee’s locations in 64 Florida cities. You can find the list at locations.hardees.com/fl.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: These Florida Hardee’s restaurants closed as franchisee files bankruptcy
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
