Krystal has closed its 13-year-old restaurant on Brainerd Road as the Atlanta-based restaurant chain focuses on redeveloping or rebuilding nearly half of its company-owned stores which offer the best growth prospects.
A company spokeswoman said Wednesday that Krystal shut down its 2,040-square-foot store at 5401 Brainerd Road over the weekend and offered all of the displaced employees at the Brainerd unit jobs at other Krystal stores.
Chattanooga, which is the birthplace of Krystal and one of its top-tier markets, continues to operate 24 other Krystal restaurants in the market.
Krystal CEO Paul Macaluso, who was named CEO of the restaurant chain in April 2018, spent his first year at Krystal reversing a 3-year sales slide by revamping Krystal stores, strategy and menu and closing some of the low-performing outlets.
The Krystal restaurant at 5401 Brainerd Road has closed and is being emptied. The store opened in 2006. / Staff photo by Dave FlessnerKrystal is planning to eventually remodel, and in some instances totally replace, 75-100 of its company-owned stores to help update the restaurant look and efficiency to draw more patrons and improve both the drive-through and in-store experience. While Krystal is adding some new stores, it is also shuttering some of its least profitable outlets like the one on Brainerd Road.
Krystal, which began in downtown Chattanooga in 1932 and is the nation's second oldest fast-food chain behind only White Castle, is owned by Argonne Capital Group in Atlanta.