O'Charley's will close all company locations on Sept. 9, ending the restaurant's 55-year run.
Reports began circulating online on Sept. 8 that O'Charley's, a Tennessee-based restaurant chain, would begin closing most of its locations the next day. Servers at several restaurants across Tennessee confirmed their locations would close at 8 p.m. on Sept. 9.
Here is what we know about the closures so far.
Is O'Charley's closing all of its locations?
Employees at locations in Clarksville, Hemitage and Nashville confirmed to The Tennessean that all O'Charley's company locations would close at 8 p.m. on Sept. 9, ending the restaurant's legacy spanning more than 50 years.
Some ongoing online discussions about the closings suggest that franchised locations might remain open after the deadline. The Tennessean
contacted the company for confirmation but has not yet received a response.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, two locations, Knoxville and Alcoa, remain open and haven't been told to close.
O'Charley's had its start in Tennessee
The O'Charley's restaurant chain was originally founded in 1971 on 21st Avenue by Charlie Watkins. Since its founding, the restaurant has become a dining staple across Tennessee and much of the South. The chain's menu includes classic Southern cooking as well as more casual American dishes such as burgers, chicken tenders, steaks and seafood.
The Tennessean previously reported in 2010 that O'Charley's had 244 restaurants in the United States, primarily located in the Midwest and South. Since then, it has undergone widespread closures and now has only 44 locations, according to the restaurant locator.
How many O'Charley's are in Tennessee?
According to the restaurant's locator, 14 locations are open in Tennessee. All locations are concentrated in Middle and East Tennessee.
Locations set to close on Sept. 9 include:
- Clarksville: 674 North Riverside Dr
- Cookeville: 1401 Interstate Dr
- Dickson: 2409 Highway 46 South
- Franklin: 1202 Murfreesboro Rd
- Gallatin: 1009 Village Green Crossing
- Hermitage: 5500 Old Hickory Blvd.
- Knoxville: 8077 Kingston Pike
- Lebanon: 902 Murfreesboro Rd
- Manchester: 2367 Hillsboro Blvd.
- Morristown: 3412 W. Andrew Johnson Hwy
- Nashville: 110 Coley Davis Court
- Springfield: 3535 Tom Austin Hwy.
Previous reporting from The Tennessean indicates that six locations in Middle Tennessee have closed since 2022: Antioch, Columbia, Goodlettsville, Mt. Juliet, Murfreesboro and Smyrna.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal and Tennessee. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: O'Charley's abruptly closing restaurants, ending Tennessee chain's 55-year run
