8 Restaurant Chains Closing Georgia Locations in 2026

When’s the last time you ate at your go-to fast food chain?

To the dismay of many Georgians, some of their favorite restaurants are gone for good.

The reasons behind the closings vary.

Here’s a look at the chains that have closed or are closing Georgia locations in 2026.

1. Del Taco

Del Taco’s 11 Georgia restaurants shut down abruptly in February 2026, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.

The restaurants were in the Atlanta, Columbus and Macon areas.

If you ate at the Del Taco on Hamilton Road in Columbus, that restaurant closed with the rest.

A franchisee operated them.

That franchisee, Matadoor Restaurant Group, was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the time.

Del Taco said the closings came without prior notice to the company.

The company said in February that it was exploring options to reopen the restaurants as soon as possible.

2. O’Charley’s

Atlanta’s WSB-TV reported on September 9, 2026 that O’Charley’s closings appeared to include its three remaining Georgia restaurants.

If you ate at the O’Charley’s in Canton, Stockbridge or Fort Oglethorpe, yours appears to have been one of the three.

A sign on the Stockbridge restaurant’s door told customers about the closure.

How widespread?

Restaurant Dive wrote that O’Charley’s had reportedly closed, or was closing, all of its corporate restaurants.

Its website was no longer functioning when the story ran.

The closures coincided with a strategic portfolio review at Cannae Holdings, the chain’s owner.

3. Popeyes

A Popeyes franchisee’s closings included eight Georgia restaurants, according to Patch’s report of March 19, 2026.

The addresses were in Baxley, Hazlehurst, Homerville, Jesup, Brunswick and Waycross.

Brunswick had two of them.

So did the Waycross area.

If you live in Brunswick, the closed restaurants were on Glynn Avenue and Altama Avenue.

Sailormen Inc., the Miami-based franchisee, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2026, citing rising inflation and fewer customers.

In January, Sailormen closed 17 Popeyes restaurants in Florida and Georgia as part of the bankruptcy process.

Three of the eight, in Brunswick, Baxley and Homerville, had closed before the January petition, a March 10 court filing showed.

4. Smokey Bones

Smokey Bones closed its last two Georgia restaurants, in Lithonia and Columbus, in late April 2026.

The Lithonia restaurant, near the Mall at Stonecrest, was the chain’s only one in metro Atlanta.

Every Smokey Bones in the country shut its doors on April 28, the Atlanta station WSB-TV reported.

A company statement confirmed it.

If you ordered ribs at the Lithonia or Columbus restaurant in April, you ate at the chain’s last two restaurants in the state.

Smokey Bones’ parent company, FAT Brands, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January.

5. Bahama Breeze

Darden Restaurants announced in February 2026 that it was closing 14 Bahama Breeze restaurants and converting the other 14 to its other brands.

The Duluth restaurant on Breckinridge Boulevard closed on April 5, according to Atlanta News First.

The Kennesaw restaurant, the last Bahama Breeze in the state, closed for good in late August after a strong customer response during its final week.

If you wanted one last meal there, WSB-TV said the restaurant had sold out of nearly all its food and beverages by the end.

A Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen was set to eventually move into the Kennesaw space.

6. Five Guys

Fast Company’s 2026 list of Five Guys closures names at least 14 restaurants nationwide that closed or were set to close in the first half of the year.

Just one is in Atlanta.

That one is at 3393 Peachtree Road Northeast.

If you’ve eaten at that address, the restaurant is listed as already closed.

The list was published on May 12, 2026 and updated on August 28.

The list drew on local media reports, online review platforms and the Five Guys store locator, so it may not be a complete count.

7. Wendy’s

By February 20, 2026, the Wendy’s on Johnson Ferry Road at East Cobb Drive had closed.

Its signage was mostly gone.

It was one of roughly 300 Wendy’s stores, around 5 percent of its U.S. restaurants, being closed in the first part of 2026.

Interim chief executive Ken Cook described the targeted restaurants as underperforming on an earnings call.

If you ate at the Johnson Ferry Road restaurant, the area was left with three Wendy’s.

Those were on Powers Ferry Road, on Roswell Road near East Lake and on Shallowford Road at Highland Plaza.

8. Melting Pot

After 36 years in Duluth, The Melting Pot closed its restaurant the last weekend of May 2026, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The fondue chain had announced that May 31 would be the Duluth restaurant’s last day of service.

It opened in December 1990.

If you wanted a last fondue dinner there, the restaurant held a Final Dip Celebration Weekend to close out its 36 years.

More Closings From May 2026

La Madeleine closed its East Cobb cafe at Providence Square on May 22, 2026, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's May roundup and East Cobb News.

The Cracker Barrel on Windward Parkway in Alpharetta was among the chains that shuttered in May.

If you've eaten at that Cracker Barrel, it's one of the May closings.