2 days ago
Mass.-based burger chain to shut down more than two-thirds of its locations
It looks like Wahlbugers is hitting a wall.
The nationwide burger chain, founded in Hingham by brothers Mark, Paul and Donnie Wahlberg, will close more than two-third of its locations, according to a report from Food Republic.
The 79 locations that are shuttering belong to franchisee Hy-Vee Inc., a Midwestern supermarket chain that incorporated Wahlburgers kiosks in many of its stores as a replacement for its prior in-house dining option, Market Grille. Now, the chain plans to reintroduce Market Grille to its stores, according to Restaurant Business.
The company's 2018 franchising deal with Hy-Vee was a significant component of its expansion. However, Wahlburgers CEO Randy Sharpe doesn't seem concerned about the development, as Hy-Vee comprised only a small portion of sales, according to Restaurant Business.
'We are growing restaurants,' Sharpe said in Restaurant Business' report. 'We're not going to be in the grocery business.'
'It's best that everyone stay in what their skill sets are and move on,' he added.
The closures leave 34 locations, according to Food Republic, six of which are in Massachusetts: three in Boston (two within Boston Logan International Airport and one in the Fenway neighborhood), and one location each in Springfield, Plainville and Hingham. Outside of the United States, Wahlburgers has locations in Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
The Wahlberg brothers founded Wahlburgers in 2011, and didn't expand to a second location – Toronto – until 2014. That same year, the family launched the reality TV program 'Wahlbugers,' which aired through 2019 and earned an Emmy nomination for 'Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program.'
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