9 Burger Chains Closing Locations in 2024
Every burger fan has a go-to spot for the handheld, beefy American staple. Some truly exceptional burgers are even beloved by professional chefs. And there's no denying that the options throughout the country are limitless. However, in a space saturated with burger options, you'll find multiple chains that had to close locations this year.
Throughout 2024, burger hotspots, both big and small, have shuttered restaurants for a variety of reasons. Some chains have faced ongoing financial difficulties. Others haven't provided customers with any reason at all. No matter the "why" behind a restaurant's closure, saying farewell is never easy.
Wondering if your go-to burger joint is about to be no more? Here are nine burger chains that are closing locations this year.
Wendy's
During an earnings call in May, Wendy's CFO Gunther Plosch shared that Wendy's had closed 27 locations with further plans to close more than 100 restaurants in total this year. Plosch did not reveal additional reasoning behind the closures but noted, "We opened 35 restaurants. We had closures, it's all with our rhythm in our business."
Indeed, despite the 100-plus planned closures, the fast-food chain had opened 99 new restaurants by the time of its next earnings call in August, with aims to add a total of 250 to 300 new stores in fiscal 2024.
BurgerFi
BurgerFi has experienced its fair share of financial challenges over the last few years. In September, parent company BurgerFi International, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, less than one month after warning it may seek bankruptcy protection. While the company noted that all 144 locations across BurgerFi and its sister brand, Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings, will continue to operate normally, there were more than a dozen closures ahead of the bankruptcy filing.
BurgerFi International shuttered 10 BurgerFi locations and nine Anthony's restaurants this year, according to a court document. Nine of the 10 BurgerFi closures were in the company's home state of Florida, while one was in Tennessee. Meanwhile, the impacted Anthony's restaurants were in Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Rhode Island.
At the end of September, BurgerFi announced that it received approval for $3.5 million in funding from an affiliate of Trew Capital Management. This financing will help "stabilize [the company's] operations and work with its vendors and landlords to meet the high standards for the BurgerFi and Anthony's brands," according to BurgerFi.
Shake Shack
Despite sharing plans to open 80 new locations this year, Shake Shack has had to say some goodbyes in 2024. In August, the burger chain said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it expects to close nine locations by Sept. 25. Shake Shack said these locations were underperforming "in part due to changes in the trade area and, in some cases, are negatively impacting other Shacks within their proximity by cannibalizing sales," according to Nation's Restaurant News.
Despite shutting multiple doors, the burger chain said it doesn't expect these closures to affect expansion plans. The list of impacted restaurants includes four Los Angeles locations: Bunker Hill, Culver City, Koreatown, and Silver Lake. Other affected locations in California include Oakland and Woodland Hills. Two Texas locations in Montrose and the Houston Gallaria and another in Polaris, Ohio, were also among the closures.
Hardee's
Hardee's, the fast-food chain known for its Black Angus Thickburgers, has shut the doors of multiple locations this year. After closing a string of restaurants in 2023, the chain shuttered several Illinois restaurants in Champaign, Chatham, Monticello, Springfield, and Virden, according to WCIA.com.
Around the same time, Hardee's confirmed the closures of restaurants in Carterville and Du Quoin, Ill., as well as Spring Hill, Tenn., and Joplin, Mo. The company didn't provide a reason behind these closures. The now-closed Joplin restaurant marks Hardee's fifth closure in the Joplin area since April 2023, according to KOAM News Now.
Burger King
Burger King's footprint shrunk by 3.7% in 2023, when the company closed around 300 restaurants as part of a larger goal to get rid of underperforming locations and boost the health of the fast-food chain. Josh Kobza, CEO of Burger King's parent company, Restaurant Business International, previously said that the chain historically closes a few hundred units each year.
Although Burger King said during a February earnings call that the high rate of closures is "behind" it, more shutterings are still expected—just at a "more normalized level" of activity. Additionally, Kobza said during a recent earnings call that Burger King is on track to remodel about 400 of its locations this year, sharing that 85% to 90% of Burger King's U.S. locations will have a modern design by 2028.
Burbs Burgers
After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2023, Burbs Burgers, the Seattle-based chain known for its smash burgers, is no more. In February, owner Josh Henderson closed all five locations, located in Bellevue and the Seattle neighborhoods of Montlake, Pioneer Square, Ballard, and Georgetown. Henderson told Eater Seattle that he hoped to find investors who could finance or purchase Burbs, but he was unable to do so.
Hart House
In September, Hart House, the vegan fast-food chain backed by Kevin Hart, closed all four of its restaurants after being open for just two years, Eater reported. These locations were in Westchester, Monrovia, University Park, and Hollywood, Calif. The chain did not provide a reason behind the closures, though it did alert its followers of the news via Instagram.
"To our team, guests, and community, who helped make the change we all craved," the restaurant's post reads. A Hartfelt goodbye for now as we start a new chapter."
Hart House served vegan burgers, faux "chicken" sandwiches and nuggets, and plant-based milkshakes.
Applebee's
Since 2017, Applebee's has closed over 300 restaurants—and that number is getting even larger in 2024. During an earnings call in February, Applebee's President Tony Moralejo shared that Dine Brands Global, the restaurant chain's parent company, expects to close 25 to 35 more Applebee's restaurants this year. Moralejo noted that the closures aren't a sign of struggling franchisees, but rather "a sign of struggling trade areas."
Then, during an August earnings call, CFO Vance Chang reiterated, "Applebee's guidance of 25 to 35 net fewer domestic restaurants remain[s] unchanged."
Dairy Queen
The chain known for its Blizzards and burgers shuttered several locations this year, according to local reports. In March, Dairy Queen closed a restaurant in New Ulm, Minn., which had been open for more than 70 years, as reported by The Journal. The publication reported that finding employees became increasingly difficult for the restaurant, noting that only five people worked at this location before it closed. Other Dairy Queen locations that have closed this year include Batesville, Ind., Portland, Ky., and Flower Mound, Texas.
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