GEORGIA, USA — In 2024, Georgia has said farewell to many beloved businesses but has also warmly welcomed dozens of chain and local restaurants.
See the year’s most exciting openings and gut-wrenching closings below.
Openings
Who doesn't love the beaver nuggets and Texas brisket? In 2025, Buc-ee's lovers will have something to look forward to as the new location in Brunswick is set to open in June.
Construction is already underway on the new location after they broke ground in late January of this year.
While it will be the third Buc-ee's in the state, the new facility will also be the largest location to date in the Peach State.
Lookout! Jack in the Box is about to pop out in Georgia with 15 confirmed locations.
The company announced on June 11 that these locations would mark its first steps into the Peach State as part of a larger expansion in the Southeastern United States.
“This new franchise commitment represents a significant step forward in our strategic expansion across the Southeastern United States,” said Tim Linderman, chief development officer at Jack in the Box. “With the addition of 15 new franchise commitments in and over 30 recently announced commitments in Florida, we're excited to bring our crave-able 24/7 menu to even more communities. Georgia's thriving business environment and strong consumer base make it a perfect fit for our continued growth.”
The restaurant opened on Aug. 30. It's located at 447 Hwy 138 SE in Conyers, Georgia.
Dave's Hot Chicken is known for bringing the heat with bold hot chicken flavors, including "Reaper" and "Extra Hot." The chain also has vegan options like "Dave's Not Chicken" cauliflower options. And if you're looking for a sweet treat, it has a variety of loaded milkshakes.
Bankhead Seafood was a legendary Atlanta restaurant for over 50 years before it closed in 2018. That is until rappers T.I. and Killer Mike, along with other community members, got to work on a mission to bring it back.
The rappers purchased the property in 2018 and initially announced plans to rebuild it in January 2020 — just months before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a shutdown across the country. The Atlanta natives then secured a million-dollar loan in 2023 to revive the restaurant.
The grand re-opening gave the restaurant a revamped look as the business looks to carry its legacy into the future. However, as its website states, the business' mission remains the same: "To serve the community, with the same love, tradition and flavor that has made us legendary."
The chicken chain built around “One Love” plans to show Georgia a lot of love in the next couple of years.
Louisiana-based Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers plans to open metro Atlanta restaurants in Cumming, Conyers and Kennesaw late next year.
The chain's first location in Atlanta is scheduled to open in West Midtown in spring 2026. It will open at the intersection of 14th Street and Northside Drive, where a Krystal now operates.
A Raising Cane's opened earlier in the year in Woodstock.
RELATED: Raising Cane's opens in Woodstock
Closings
Hooters, an Atlanta-based casual dining chain, closed several of its "underperforming" restaurants - including four locations in Georgia. The closures are part of a group of over 40 locations that have recently shuttered across the nation.
Locations in Brunswick, Hiram, Macon and the "Hoots Wings" in Madison Yards have all been listed as "permanently closed" on Google and removed from Hooters' website.
"Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores. Ensuring the well-being of our staff is our priority in these rare instances," the company told 11Alive in a statement.
Despite the closures, the company said it is remaining resilient by opening new restaurants and launching more retail products.
Dozens of Red Lobster locations across the country abruptly shuttered their doors earlier this year.
More than 90 Red Lobster locations in at least 27 states were listed as "temporarily closed" on the restaurant's website.
The Georgia locations that closed were in Roswell, Dublin and Athens.
Derrick Hayes, the owner of Big Dave's Cheesesteaks, said in July that he would not reopen his flagship restaurant after the Atlanta water crisis.
The flagship restaurant was located in Downtown Atlanta, off Forsyth Street NW. Big Dave's Cheesesteaks was founded by Hayes, a West Philadelphia native, who named the restaurant chain after his late father. Hayes opened the first location in a 700-square-foot Shell gas station in Dunwoody, Georgia.
Hayes posted a video on social media over the weekend with the caption, "This one hurt 💔."
In early June, 11Alive previously reported on extensive damage at Big Dave's Cheesesteaks Forsyth Street location after the city's water main breaks.
"There was water running out the walls, the ceilings," Hayes previously said. "The floor is starting to buckle. We got a lot of water in here."
A family-style Italian restaurant chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and shut down locations across the United States in August, according to USA Today.
Buca di Beppo's Alpharetta location off Mansell Road is one of the locations the chain shuttered.
According to court papers USA Today obtained, the blame was placed on financial issues that sparked from rising costs and hiring difficulties. The company owed its creditors nearly $50 million.
Buca di Beppo restaurants are operated in states such as Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Colorado, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky.
An Ohio-based furniture retailer shut down for good, closed doors at all locations across the nation. It announced the closings in November.
The company promised slashed prices and deep discounts as it worked to get rid of inventory during its closings.
American Freight had 328 locations nationwide, but as it ceases operations, it is closing 15 locations in Georgia.
That's bad news for some shoppers across metro Atlanta, who are seeing their locations close.
List of Georgia's American Freight locations closing:
*Metro Atlanta locations
- Macon: 2525 Pio Nono Ave, Suite 1100
- Dublin: 116B Hillcrest Pkwy
- Athens: 3190 Atlanta Hwy
- Decatur: 1960 B Candler Rd*
- Conyers: 425 Sigman Rd NW, Ste 105-106*
- Albany: 2304 N Slappey Blvd
- Stone Mountain: 5370 US Hwy 78, Suite 400*
- Columbus: 1627 S Lumpkin Rd
- Rome: 2502 Shorter Ave NW
- Augusta: 1708 Wylds Rd
- Savannah: 15000 Abercorn St
- Marietta: 1075 Cobb Pkwy SE*
- Norcross: 6796-A Jimmy Carter Blvd*
- Morrow: 1230 Mt Zion Rd*
- Douglasville: 5834 Fairburn Road*
