This Texas Burger Chain Just Abruptly Shuttered All of Its Locations
If you're craving a diner-style burger in San Antonio, you may have to find a new go-to. One popular local burger chain simply vanished from the area overnight, shuttering all of its locations.
Hometown Burger announced at 10 p.m. on Sunday that it is permanently shuttering all eight of its restaurants, but didn't offer any further explanation.
"We thank you for your business over the years," the company said on its website, confirming that the chain is defunct. "We'll see you on the flip side."
According to My San Antonio, Hometown Burger was founded in 2016 and opened its eighth location on the Southside just a year ago. It was known for its fresh, not frozen burgers, onion rings, fried pickles, and retro-style dining.
While the chain didn't further explain its sudden departure from the city's dine-in scene, customers had their guesses.
"When a new location opened, ALL the Google reviews complained about one thing: the wait in line," one person wrote on Reddit. "If you arrived expecting the wait, it wasn't bad at all, but surely this played a factor in many people not coming back, unfortunately for Hometown Burger."
Others noted the array of options for burger spots in the region, the long wait for service even if there were just a few customers, along with the unhappy-looking employees.
On Indeed.com, former Hometown Burger employees complained about being under-appreciated, understaffed, and overworked. But they did enjoy the free lunch. One person explained that while working for Hometown Burgers was initially satisfying, the management started having problems, leading to scheduling delays and a severe staffing shortage.
One thing former customers will miss is the $5 banana split.
"I don't know where else to get a good banana split for $5, and it's a start of summer tradition for me," one person wrote.
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Hometown Burger's restaurant group restaurateurs Benny and Lisa Costello also own Tia's Taco Hut, Tio's Tex-Mex, Mr. C's Fried Chicken and Waffles, and Don Benito's Cocina y Cantina—but they all appear to remain open.
