Fuddruckers closes after 30 years
Nov. 14, 2022
After three decades, Fuddruckers has closed its Sioux Falls location.
The restaurant known for its hamburgers was at 3101 W. 41st St.
“It was a good ride. It was a great little restaurant for a long, long time,” co-franchisee Pat Costello said. “It’s where I cut my teeth in the restaurant business, and it led me to other business ventures, and it’s just been a good restaurant.”
Business partner Kyle VanHeerde had been running it for “a long time,” from his first job at 16.
“We were treating it like the death of a family member or friend – celebrating the life and not mourning the loss,” Costello said. “It was a great run for me personally and for Kyle.”
He’d considered investing in a full renovation of the restaurant, but then COVID-19 hit and the Fuddruckers franchisor was sold.
“Before COVID, there was 300 stores, and after COVID there’s like 80, so the distribution of our proprietary items was just so challenging,” Costello said.
“We had Minneapolis and Chicago stores, a couple Omaha, Des Moines, Rapid City and Fargo at one time, Denver, and all those stores are gone, so we are out here on an island by ourselves with no distribution partnership … and obviously, everybody is dealing with inflation, and food costs are going through the roof, and it was pretty hard to keep up, and, of course, the labor situation was tough, and it just seemed like a lot of things.”
The 5,150-square-foot space is listed for lease with Autumn Kaufhold of Van Buskirk Cos.
The furniture and equipment is included.
