Wahlburgers has closed nearly 80 locations this year, dipping to 34 restaurants nationwide.
The burger chain founded by actor Mark Wahlberg and his brothers, Donnie and Paul, simultaneously closed 79 locations earlier this year that were in Hy-Vee stores, Eat This, Not That reports, ending an agreement that started in 2017.
Wahlburgers CEO Randy Sharpe told Nation’s Restaurant News that the closures affected food court kiosks at Hy-Vee, according to Eat This, Not That. “It’s not a full-service restaurant, and it wasn’t a significant revenue driver for either side,” Sharpe told the publication.
Are any Walhburgers locations in Ohio affected? Here’s what to know.
How many Wahlburgers are in Ohio?
Wahlburgers has four locations in Ohio, according to its website. They are:
The Columbus Wahlburgers location opened in July 2022 in Hollywood Casino, the Columbus Dispatch reported, as part of a franchise deal with Penn National Gaming, which owns and operates the casino. The Dayton and Youngstown restaurants operate within Hollywood Gaming locations.
Another location in Cincinnati closed in 2023 after being in business for five years, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The company said the decision to close that location was made by the franchisee.
Where are Hy-Vee stores located?
Hy-Vee operates 302 stores in Iowa and seven states near it, according to the web scraping tool ScrapeHero. The closest stores to Ohio are in Illinois.
Mark Wahlberg owns Chevrolet, Buick, GMC auto dealerships across Ohio
Wahlburgers isn’t Mark Wahlberg’s only business interest in Ohio. The former rapper known in the 1990s for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch also owns several auto dealerships in the Buckeye State.
Mark Wahlberg has Chevrolet dealerships in Columbus, Worthington and Avon, as well as a Buick GMC dealership in Columbus. The dealership websites prominently feature a photo of Wahlberg.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Wahlburgers closes 79 locations. Are any in Ohio? See the full list
Reporting by Chad Murphy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
