On the same day that Nashville-based Back Yard Burgers was sold to Axum Capital Partners, in a move that was intended to accelerate the company’s growth, the Oxford location of the 55-unit chain closed its doors.
HottyToddy.com posted the news on Facebook on Monday night and the announcement was met with both positive and negative reactions. While many locals said they’ll miss the fast-food restaurant, others were already offering up suggestions for its replacement such as Olive Garden, Whataburger, Texas Roadhouse and Arby’s.
One Facebook poster, Rosita Rodriguez DeHetre, who said she worked at Back Yard Burgers for six years, reminded everyone that when a restaurant suddenly closes, employees are left struggling to find another job.
“Everyone is talking about the food and service but what about the people that lost their jobs out of nowhere and have to struggle finding another one?” she said. “We all loved our customers and especially our regular ones that came in on a daily basis. Been there for six years and will miss my customers and the crew I worked with.”
Liz Barrett Foster is the EatingOxford editor for HottyToddy.com, an award-winning business journalist and author of the recently published Pizza: A Slice of American History. Liz ran the popular restaurant information site EatingOxford.com from 2009 to 2015. Liz can be reached at liz.foster@hottytoddy.com.
