O’Charley’s is shutting down nearly all of its remaining company-owned restaurants, ending a 55-year run that began in Nashville.
On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, employees at locations across Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, and other states confirmed that corporate-owned restaurants would close for good at 8 p.m., or earlier if they sold out of food.
The company has not issued a public statement. Its social media accounts have been taken down, and requests for comment from news outlets have gone unanswered.
O’Charley’s Closing Down Nationwide
The Nashville-based casual dining chain, known for Southern comfort food, fresh rolls, chicken tenders, and honey mustard dressing, once operated nearly 250 restaurants. By early 2026 it was down to about 44–52 locations. A 2023 wave of closures cut roughly 17% of the portfolio as the company tried to preserve cash and shift toward a lighter operating model. Same-store sales later fell by double digits, and more stores closed in July 2026.
Charles “Sonny” Watkins opened the first O’Charley’s in 1971 on 21st Avenue South near Vanderbilt University. He sold the business in 1984 to David Watchel, a former Shoney’s executive, who expanded it into a regional chain. At its peak in the 2000s it was a familiar presence across the South and Midwest. Cannae Holdings later became the majority owner.
Not every location is vanishing on the same timeline. Reports indicate most corporate restaurants closed Wednesday night. A small number of franchised spots, including one in Niles, Ohio, said they would try to stay open as long as possible, with possible permanent closure later in September or early October. In Knoxville, the West Hills location posted a closed sign, while employees at another Knoxville restaurant and the Alcoa location said they had not been told to shut down. Underground Chuck’s, a related concept, is also closing.
The abrupt end has hit employees and regulars hard. Former staff described years of memories built around after-work meals, family dinners, and the restaurant’s familiar Southern hospitality. “I have friends who have said that they’ve been crying, they can’t sleep because so many memories built there over the years, and it’s hard to see it go,” one former employee told local media.
O’Charley’s decline followed a path common in casual dining: rising costs, changing customer habits after the pandemic, and intense competition. The 2023 closures were framed as a reset. That reset did not hold. By 2025 the portfolio had shrunk further and sales were down sharply.
For many customers in Tennessee and neighboring states, the chain was more than a restaurant. It was a neighborhood fixture. Wednesday night’s closings close that chapter for most of the remaining company stores, even if a handful of franchise locations linger a little longer. The company that started as one Nashville restaurant in 1971 is, for practical purposes, finished.
