Hardee’s gone; Whataburger may open
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 4, 2004
[2/4/03]Hardee’s on Halls Ferry Road has closed, and plans are for its former building to become Mississippi’s second Whataburger.
he owner of the local Hardee’s, Charlie Tomlinson of Jackson, said he planned to complete a sale within about two weeks to a New Orleans businessman who plans to convert the structure to a different franchise.
The New Orleans man, whom Tomlinson would not identify, has “obtained development rights for parts of Louisiana and Mississippi,” Tomlinson said.
Chris Donner, the director of real estate and development for the potential Vicksburg Whataburger franchisee, said the deal remains under negotiation.
“We’re seriously pursuing that location,” he said, adding that he is also pursing other spots in Mississippi and Louisiana.
The same man converted a former Hardee’s building on High Street near Interstate 55 in Jackson to the state’s first Whataburger franchise this year, Tomlinson said.
The Vicksburg Hardee’s had operated since January 1985. The chain began in 1960 in Greenville, N.C. It now has about 2,400 restaurants in 32 states, including about 45 in Mississippi, and 11 foreign countries.
Whataburger was founded in 1950 in South Texas. At its 50th anniversary in 2000 it had 575 stores. Whataburger restaurants are in nine states, from Arizona to Florida.
The Vicksburg restaurant closed before early Monday morning.
Pending the sale, the Hardee’s building will be gutted and retrofitted by its new owner just as the High Street building was, so that “everything will look like new,” Tomlinson said.