One of the Largest Burger King Franchisees in the U.S. Shutters a Slew of Locations
Burger King fans in the Midwest may have a harder time having it "their way" in the future, thanks to a slew of locations that closed in one metropolitan area.
At least six Burger King locations in the Dayton, Ohio, area have recently ceased operations, according to signs posted on the doors of the restaurants. The shuttered stores are located at:
- 7151 Hoke Road in Clayton
- 4465 Clyo Road in Sugarcreek Twp.
- 1401 N. Keowee Street in Dayton
- 1420 Cincinnati Street in Dayton
- 60 S. Broad Street in Fairborn
- 352 E. National Road in Vandalia
The news comes just a few short weeks after another local Burger King restaurant—at 9189 Dayton-Lebanon Pike in in Washington Twp.—abruptly went out of business.
The signs posted on the doors of the closed BK restaurants list other, local Burger King locations customers can visit instead. However, both the Fairborn and Clayton locations incorrectly suggest patrons try their luck at the Vandalia location—which is also closed.
So what's the inside story behind these abrupt closures? The reasons aren't quite clear yet, but we do know that all closed restaurants are owned by TOMS King (Ohio) LLC, considered one of Burger King's largest franchisees.
Founded in 2012, TOMS King operates 90 Burger King locations across five U.S. states: Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, and Illinois. In 2018, TOMS King CEO Matt Carpenter told The Dayton Daily News that TOMS King was one of the top-performing Burger King franchisees in North America.
However, considering TOMS King was operating over 100 Burger King locations as recently as 2018, there are clear signs of regression rather than expansion.
The greater Burger King brand, meanwhile, is showing signs of a turnaround after a lackluster past few years that saw the burger brand fall behind both Wendy's and Chick-fil-A in sales.
Burger King recently reported a 4% increase in U.S. same-store sales growth year-over-year as of Q3 2022, and a 10% jump on a global scale. The Home of the Whopper is also implementing an ambitious $400 million Reclaim the Flame plan to revitalize its brand, by updating advertising efforts, enhancing the menu, and investing in new restaurant technologies and kitchen equipment.
