When the regular breakfast crowd showed up at the East Innes Street Hardee’s on Wednesday, they were greeted with bad news: the restaurant was closed.
But news of the demise of the fast-food business was greatly exaggerated. It turns out the early shift didn’t make it in to open because a manager was sick. A later crew came in, and Hardee’s was operating before the lunch crowd hit.
But the burger wars haven’t been kind to other restaurants along Innes Street.
In recent months, the Hardee’s on West Innes Street closed along with Church’s Fried Chicken and Village Inn Pizza near each other on East Innes.
But at least one new restaurant — Sonic Drive-In — has taken out the permits it needs to build a new restaurant on West Innes.
And Jeff Wells, director of operations for 35 Hardee’s in the Charlotte area, said his chain is actually doing much better financially. After a round of closing unprofitable stores, he said the ones that remain open are in good shape.
Wells said the Hardee’s that closed on West Innes Street was an individually owned franchise and that property is on the market.
He said Hardee’s also is looking to add a new location in the area and will probably pick the site in April.
“We’re here to stay and grow,” he said.
The same can’t be said for longtime pizza parlor Village Inn on Innes Street, which closed its doors this past weekend, and Church’s Fried Chicken, which boarded up its windows earlier.
Elizabeth Lackey, granddaughter of the founder of Village Inn, said the company’s other restaurant in town will remain open. The Statesville Boulevard location remains in good financial shape.
“We went through a slowdown, but in February things picked up,” she said. “March has started off really strong too.”
The Innes Street Village Inn was the company’s third outlet, opening in the early 1970s after W. Ray Lackey started the original in 1968 in Statesville. The company has 10 Village Inns in operation now.
Sonic Drive-In has obtained a building permit for a new restaurant on West Innes Street near Sam’s Car Wash.
Steve Arnold at the corporate headquarters in Concord said work on the building, listed as a $128,000 project on the permit, should start in a week or so. He said about 75 people will be working at the restaurant for the initial rush when it opens and that will taper off to 30 or 35 after that.
The Concord operation already has four Sonics so far: Kannapolis, on Cannon Boulevard, and Concord, Albemarle and Aberdeen.
- Jim’s Barbecue, which was severely damaged by fire in June, is ready to reopen, but owner Jim Sides is planning to sell the restaurant. He said the closing date for the deal has been delayed.
- Darrell Galloway is back in business in Rockwell. From 1981 to 1995, he operated Darrell’s B-B-Q and Seafood Restaurant at the corner of U.S. 52 and Gold Hill Avenue.
After selling the building to Arey’s Barbeque in 1995, he took a six-year break from the restaurant business. Earlier this year, he decided he was ready to go back.
Galloway will serve most of the same foods he offered before — and add some new ones. He will still serve his barbecue — a self-proclaimed specialty.
Darrell’s B-B-Q and Seafood is open Wednesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Galloway is showing off his collection of race souvenirs at the restaurant.
Contact Paris Goodnight at pgoodnight@salisburypost.com 704-797-4255. Staff writer Joanie Morris contributed to this article.
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