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O’Charley’s Restaurant & Bar, a casual dining chain with roots in Nashville, has closed all of its remaining locations nationwide, ending a 55-year legacy. Employees reported that the last restaurants shuttered at 8 p.m. on Wednesday (September 9), with the chain’s social media accounts disabled and no official statement released by the company. Employees at several Middle Tennessee locations, including Clarksville, Hermitage, and Nashville, confirmed the closures to WTVC.
The rapid shutdown follows years of declining sales and traffic. According to Fox Business, O’Charley’s saw a 13.1% drop in same-store sales and reported significant financial losses during the second quarter of 2026, prompting parent company Cannae Holdings to review its restaurant portfolio. Cannae said it aimed to reallocate investments into more profitable areas and began closing underperforming locations throughout the year.
O’Charley’s was founded in 1971 by Charles Watkins near Vanderbilt University and grew under new ownership in the 1980s. At its peak, the chain operated 250 restaurants. As recently as early 2026, O’Charley’s had 52 locations, but that number dwindled to 49 company-owned restaurants before the final closure.
The closure of O’Charley’s is part of a larger trend in the casual dining industry, with chains like Red Lobster and On the Border also downsizing or filing for bankruptcy in recent months. A few franchised O’Charley’s locations may remain open temporarily, with Covelli Enterprises receiving an extension for at least one location through the end of the month.