By JAY LAMM — editor@wsj30.com
The grill will be turned off, and no more biscuits nor burgers will made for a downtown restaurant staple in Wake Forest.
Hardee’s is closing on Aug. 22.
“The rent has got too high for this building, so we are shutting down,” said a member of the Hardee’s management team this week.
“Wake Forest loves Hardee’s, but I don’t know if we will be back,”
— Management
“The place has become too small, and it just makes financial sense to close,” he told the WSJ, preferring not to be identified for this story.
The restaurant has been in Wake Forest since the early 1980s and still has a good customer base.
No decision has been made to replace the restaurant in another location in Wake Forest.
“Wake Forest loves Hardee’s, but I don’t know if we will be back,” said the employee.
“Management has talked with developers about building in a more upscale location, but nothing has been decided on. We have left locations we don’t own in other towns recently and have built our own buildings. But we have not made that decision in Wake Forest. We just built in Wendell and in the last few years, Wilson.”
All current employees will be offered jobs at other Hardee’s and will be welcomed back to Wake Forest if they open a new restaurant.
The building has been listed on real estate websites stating its availability is Aug. 30.
The Hardee’s in Wake Forest is owned by Boddie-Noel Enterprises in Rocky Mount. The company, first started in 1962 in Fayetteville, today, owns 350 Hardee’s franchises.
Representatives at Boddie-Noel did not return phone calls to comment.
The company website does state its goal is to add new locations and rebuild existing locations or rebuild in towns they have already established a strong customer base.
“Wake Forest needs Hardee’s,” the employee said. “And Hardee’s needs Wake Forest.”
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