A burger chain recently announced that it was closing up shop on a third of its locations. It comes as the burger chain is apparently getting back to basics.
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If you’re a fan of Hi-Pointe Drive-In, prepare to be disappointed. The burger chain has nine locations across Illinois. But it announced on Instagram that it is closing three of these locations.
The chain wrote, “Sometimes growing means taking a step back. This was the hardest decision we’ve made to date, but a necessary one so we can show up better for our people and our guests. That means getting back to the basics, being consistent, and putting more care into every burger that hits the grill.”
Burger Chain Closes Shop On Three Spots
The company continued, “To our friends in Edwardsville, O’Fallon, and Ballwin, thank you for the love, the memories, and the support. You will always be part of the Hi-Pointe story. This isn’t the end. It’s a refocus. So buckle up burglings, the next chapter starts now.”
Speaking with Saint Louis Magazine, company president Ben Hillman explained why this was the right move. Those three locations were identified as making the least amount of money.
We closed the lowest-volume stores,” Hillman tells SLM, “as restaurant groups occasionally do. These were locations where we couldn’t stabilize sales, no matter how much we improved the staff and how great the food and service.”
He adds, “In the future, in this new environment, we’re being forced to become more thoughtful of our time, energy, and dollars. Ratcheting back allows us to do that.”
But Hi-Pointe is still bullish on the future of the company and believes this is the right move.
“We want to get back to the original concept, which was great burgers along with creative sandwiches and shakes,” Hillman says. “We had gone in the other direction but learned that we have to do things differently—there are a lot of good smashburgers in St. Louis—so we want to get back to a broader, chef-driven brand providing items that you can’t get anywhere else.”