Nashville-Based O'Charley's Closes All Company-Owned Restaurants After 55 Years

O'Charley's, the Nashville-based casual-dining chain founded in 1971, shut down its remaining company-owned restaurants on Wednesday, Sept. 9, ending a 55-year run for most of its locations.

What happened

Employees at several Tennessee restaurants told The Tennessean that the locations would close at 8 p.m. that evening. The chain operated 52 locations nationwide earlier in 2026, including eight in Middle Tennessee, according to The Tennessean as reported by WTVC. The company disabled its social media accounts and did not respond to multiple requests for comment, according to local news reports; the Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, restaurant, the last remaining location in the greater Chattanooga area, told a reporter staff were not permitted to discuss the closure.

Franchised restaurants were not necessarily closing right away. WKRN reported that one franchise in Niles, Ohio, planned to stay open as long as possible, though it was expected to close permanently in late September or early October.

A Nashville original

Charles Watkins founded O'Charley's in 1971 on 21st Avenue near Vanderbilt University. He sold the restaurant in 1984 to a longtime Shoney's executive, who grew the chain to 45 locations by 1993. WKRN also reported that Cannae Holdings, which owns a majority stake, had disclosed guest counts down 23.8% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with a year earlier.

What it means

For workers, the abrupt closures raise immediate questions about final pay and benefits that the company had not addressed publicly in the coverage reviewed. Reports differ on how many restaurants remained open before the closures, so the exact count of affected locations is still unsettled.

Sources: WTVC NewsChannel 9, FOX 10, WATE.