O’Charley’s abruptly closing restaurants, including Louisville and Elizabethtown
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
Is this the end for longtime dining chain O’Charley’s?
There were reports Wednesday of several restaurants abruptly closing.
The only two left in the Louisville region are on Hurstbourne Parkway and south in Elizabethtown.
Employees at both locations said they were told their stores will close at 8 p.m. Wednesday and never reopen.
So far, there’s been no public statement regarding the closures, but the chain’s Facebook and Instagram pages appear to be deactivated.
Customers and workers at an O’Charley’s location on Hurstbourne Parkway are reacting to the chain’s sudden shutdown.
“Sad—one more good restaurant gone,” said Pam Griffith. “Potato soup, too!”
The Griffiths—Pam, Bill, and Donna said they were regulars at the O’Charley’s on Hurstbourne Parkway.
“I mean, you lose something, you don’t know what to think,” Bill Griffith said.
Lexis Weisert said she had just finished her final shift at the restaurant.
“I actually found out last night. I saw it on a Facebook post, and I was like, ‘oh, my gosh’ and I messaged some friends and they confirmed it. I was like ‘wow,’” Weisert said.
Weisert said she has worked at the location for nearly 10 years: “I’ve been there. This is a lot harder just, you know, being with the same people. So that’s always rough. Makes you emotional. Morning was really emotional, for sure. Then it was busy, so we had to get to work.”
She said the final shift was about supporting one another.
“Just saying it’ll be okay. When one door closes, another one opens for you, and it’s maybe it’s just meant to be. Maybe we just need the push to finally move on to other things,” Weisert said.
The Griffiths said they understood the impact of the closure.
“I mean, it’s hard to make a living right now. Things are so high, and when you lose a job, that’s bad. Just bad,” Bill Griffith said.
The family said they were enjoying their favorites one last time.
“Potato soup and chicken fingers with barbecue sauce all over them,” Donna Griffith said.
The chain has not released any information, but its website and social media accounts appear to have been deactivated.
The chain was founded in 1971 by Charlie Watkins, expanding from its first location in Nashville, Tennessee to locations nationwide.
Currently, the chain operates 52 locations across several states including Kentucky and Indiana.
In 2023, the chain closed 51 restaurants, citing a rocky return from the pandemic.
Emily Sanderson, WLWT, contributed to this story.
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