The gravy prepare is choosing up steam once more at Hardee’s.
The Southern-inspired quick meals chain has been quietly reopening places throughout the Southeast after an explosive authorized battle with a franchisee had led to dozens of retailer closures late final 12 months.
Newly reopened Hardee’s eating places in at the very least three states—Georgia, South Carolina, and Missouri—are being described in job listings as “now company owned,” in response to latest adverts posted on Certainly.com and SimplyHired.
They share addresses with Hardee’s eating places previously operated by franchisee ARC Burger, whose 77 places shuttered in December 2025.
A few of the listings are marked as “pressing.”
Reached for remark by Quick Firm, a spokesperson for Hardee’s Eating places confirmed the reopenings and mentioned extra are on the horizon.
“We’re happy to have just lately reopened 15 places within the Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina markets as Hardee’s company eating places,” the spokesperson mentioned. “That is a part of a broader reopening technique by which Hardee’s expects to imagine possession and resume operations for greater than 40 just lately closed places that have been beforehand independently owned and operated by ARC Burger.
The model additionally says it’s exploring choices to reopen further shuttered shops that weren’t a part of the ARC portfolio, both as franchised or company-owned places.
“We perceive the essential position these eating places play within the neighborhoods they serve and are happy to be bringing Hardee’s again to those native communities,” the corporate mentioned.
Hardee’s is owned by Tennessee-based CKE Eating places Holdings, which additionally owns the Carl’s Jr. quick meals chain. The privately held firm doesn’t routinely disclose monetary outcomes or information about what proportion of its eating places are franchised.
What occurred to ARC Burger?
ARC Burger was shaped in 2023 by Excessive Bluff Capital Companions, a non-public fairness agency that additionally owns restaurant chains comparable to Quiznos and Taco Del Mar.
Final 12 months, Hardee’s sued ARC Burger for allegedly failing to pay the restaurant chain $6.5 million in past-due franchise royalties, lease, and different charges, in response to court docket paperwork. The chain additionally claimed to be owed greater than $10.5 million in damages because of early termination of ACR Burger’s franchise settlement.
In response to the lawsuit, which continues to be ongoing, the franchisee blasted Hardee’s for what it described as “a sequence of sharp practices and underhanded techniques,” together with allegedly neglecting to reveal that sure eating places had suffered from dilapidated circumstances, comparable to defective fryers, sagging ceilings, and nonfunctional HVAC items.
It additionally accused Hardee’s of failing to supply the technical and marketing help it wanted to function the franchise. Slightly than owing Hardee’s hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, ARC contended that it overpaid for the rights to make use of the Hardee’s identify—and that it was compelled to spend north of $10 million to maintain the enterprise secure.
“Now, relatively than take duty for hamstringing the Eating places’ skill to succeed, Hardee’s seeks to proceed exploiting ARC via this lawsuit,” attorneys for the franchisee wrote.
Quick Firm reached out to ARC Burger for remark.
What occurred to ARC Burger’s places?
ARC Burger’s franchise settlement was terminated in September 2025 and its 77 eating places have been closed three months later, leading to some 1,600 job losses proper earlier than the Christmas vacation, in response to court docket paperwork.
On the time the lawsuit was filed, the franchisee owned eating places in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, and Wyoming.
Now at the very least a few of these eating places have been reopened underneath company possession.
Which Hardee’s places have reopened?
Made-from-scratch biscuits are again within the oven at former ARC Burger places in three states up to now. A Hardee’s Restaurant spokesperson mentioned 15 such eating places have just lately reopened.
Though a full listing was not instantly out there, Quick Firm recognized the next former ARC places that at the moment are underneath company possession and looking for to fill positions:
Georgia
- 624 North Church Road, Thomaston, GA 30286
- 1204 Turner McCall Blvd SE, Rome, GA 30161
- 350 Basic Daniel Avenue North, Danielsville, GA 30633
- 2154 Franklin Parkway, Franklin, GA 30217
- 1208 Industrial Boulevard, East Ellijay, GA 30540
Missouri
- 702 N Franklin St, Cuba, MO 65453
South Carolina
- 422 N Hwy 52, Moncks Nook, SC 29461
- 503 N Jefferies Blvd, Walterboro, SC 29488
- 1402 N Principal St., Summerville, SC 29483
- 201 N Goose Creek Blvd., Goose Creek, SC 29445
Troubled occasions for franchisees
With working prices ballooning and foot visitors spotty, the franchise mannequin seems to be more and more underneath pressure this 12 months for some well-known restaurant chains.
Franchisees for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Subway, Applebee’s, and Firehouse Subs have all sought Chapter 11 chapter safety in simply the previous few months.
CKE Eating places isn’t resistant to this development. Earlier this month, a franchisee that owns 65 Carl’s Jr. places in California filed for bankruptcy, though it has not introduced any ensuing closures as of but.
This story is creating and could possibly be up to date…
