Hardee's Is Reopening 40+ Closed Restaurants and Hiring Hundreds Nationwide

Hardee's Is Reopening 40+ Closed Restaurants and Hiring Hundreds Nationwide

When Hardee's announced it was suing major franchisee ARC Burger in late 2025, the news looked grim for workers and burger fans alike. ARC Burger had shuttered 77 Hardee's locations across eight states after allegedly failing to pay more than $6.5 million in royalties, rent, and advertising fees — leaving hundreds of employees suddenly out of work and dozens of communities without their local Hardee's.

But 2026 is shaping up to be a very different story. Hardee's parent company has stepped in directly, taking ownership of the shuttered restaurants and reopening them as corporate-run locations. The chain expects to resume operations at more than 40 of the formerly ARC Burger-operated restaurants — and it's actively hiring to staff them.

That means hundreds of new food service jobs are opening up right now, in states where many of those closures hit hardest. If you lost your Hardee's job when ARC Burger folded, or if you're looking for a foot in the door in the restaurant industry, this is a significant opportunity worth knowing about.

Which Hardee's Locations Are Reopening and Where

The reopening effort is concentrated in the states where ARC Burger had the largest footprint. According to reporting by Fast Company, ARC Burger operated restaurants across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina, and Wyoming before its collapse.

Hardee's is moving quickly to reclaim and reopen locations across several of those markets:

Georgia has seen some of the most active reopening activity. More than 30 locations shut down in late 2025 when ARC Burger exited the market. Corporate teams have already moved in on northwest Georgia, with locations in Rome, Calhoun, and Adairsville advertising for employees and management candidates. Across west Georgia, locations in Carrollton, Newnan, Bremen, and Franklin are also showing signs of life, with job postings appearing on Indeed and other boards listing them as "now corporate owned."

Missouri is another major focus. Hardee's has announced plans to reopen at least five Missouri locations as corporate restaurants, including the Jefferson City location on Country Club Drive, which is expected to resume operations in mid-April 2026. Four additional Missouri locations in the Kansas City region have also been confirmed for reopening.

South Carolina is also part of the rollout, with newly corporate-owned locations advertising open positions alongside the Georgia and Missouri markets.

The broader list of reopening restaurants is expected to grow as Hardee's works through the more than 40 ARC Burger locations it intends to bring back online. The company is prioritizing markets where community demand was highest and where physical restaurant conditions allow for a faster return to operations.

What Jobs Are Available and What They Pay

Hardee's is hiring across three main categories at its reopening locations: crew members, kitchen staff, and management candidates. These are not temporary or seasonal roles — they are permanent positions at newly stabilized corporate restaurants, which means more consistent hours, clearer career pathways, and the backing of a national brand rather than a struggling franchisee.

Crew members handle front-of-house operations: taking orders, running the register, managing the drive-through, and keeping the dining area clean. This is the most common entry point into the restaurant, and it requires no prior food service experience. Hardee's provides on-the-job training.

Kitchen and cook roles are in high demand at the reopening locations. These positions involve food prep, operating the grill, and maintaining quality standards during busy service periods. Some prior kitchen experience is a plus but not always required.

Shift leaders and managers are being recruited at several locations, particularly in markets where experienced team members are needed quickly to get operations running. These roles carry more responsibility — overseeing staff, managing inventory, opening and closing the restaurant — and come with higher pay and benefits.

Pay rates vary by location, experience, and role. Based on current job listings, crew and kitchen positions typically start at or just above local minimum wage, with many listings showing starting pay in the $12 to $16 per hour range depending on the state. Shift leader and management roles can range higher, with some listings on ZipRecruiter showing hourly rates up to $19 to $30 for experienced managers. Hardee's corporate positions also tend to offer more stable scheduling and access to benefits compared to some franchise operations.

The company's career philosophy, as stated on its official careers page, is that employees can "hit the ground running in an environment that encourages personal growth and promotes all who strive to advance." That language carries more weight at corporate-owned restaurants, where advancement decisions are made at the company level rather than through an individual franchise owner.

How to Apply for a Job at Hardee's

Applying is straightforward. Hardee's has an official careers page at hardees.com/careers where open positions are listed by location. You can search by city or state to find roles near you, and applications can be submitted directly through the site.

For the newly reopening locations specifically, Indeed has been the most active board, with listings for the corporate-owned Georgia, Missouri, and South Carolina restaurants appearing as those locations post openings. ZipRecruiter is another strong source, particularly for management-level roles.

When applying, a few things to keep in mind:

The listings for reopening locations are often labeled "now corporate owned" — this is a meaningful distinction. It signals that the restaurant has direct support from Hardee's headquarters, not an independent operator, which generally means more reliable employment conditions.

For management candidates, the BNE Careers portal (one of Hardee's franchise and corporate career platforms) lists leadership roles and allows applicants to submit profiles for multiple locations at once.

If a location near you is not yet actively hiring but you know it's slated to reopen, it is worth checking back weekly — postings typically go live two to four weeks before a location is scheduled to open.

Why Hardee's Is Betting on Expansion in 2026

The decision to take over ARC Burger's failed portfolio rather than simply walk away from those markets says something about Hardee's current strategy. The chain, which has operated for more than 65 years, has faced competitive pressure from larger quick-service rivals, but its parent company CKE Restaurants is clearly not ready to cede those markets.

Taking failed franchisee locations and converting them to corporate ownership is a calculated move. Corporate restaurants are more expensive to run than franchise operations — the parent company absorbs all labor, food, and overhead costs directly — but they also allow for tighter quality control, faster operational changes, and a more consistent customer experience. For a brand trying to rebuild trust in markets where closures caused frustration, the corporate ownership signal matters to both customers and employees.

The legal dispute with ARC Burger also illustrates a broader tension in the franchise model. When franchise operators fail financially — whether due to rising food costs, labor costs, or poor management — it is the workers and local communities who feel it first. Hardee's stepping in directly is a way of reclaiming those relationships and demonstrating that the brand can be a reliable employer, not just a licensor of its name to third parties.

The Fast Food Industry's Broader Hiring Surge

The Hardee's reopenings are happening against a backdrop of aggressive restaurant industry hiring. The sector added a net 21,500 jobs in March 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis, a solid rebound after a dip in February, according to labor market data tracked by the National Restaurant Association.

Burger King recently launched a nationwide search for up to 60,000 new team members across nearly 6,500 U.S. restaurants, citing modernization efforts and increased customer demand. McDonald's has announced plans to hire 375,000 workers across the country as part of its summer expansion push. The quick-service restaurant market as a whole is projected to grow past $450 billion by 2030, according to Yahoo Finance, which means demand for restaurant workers is not going away anytime soon.

For job seekers, this environment is unusually favorable. Food service wages have risen meaningfully over the past several years due to minimum wage increases in key states and heightened competition for workers. The entry barrier is low — most crew roles require no prior experience — and there are genuine advancement pathways for those who stay and perform.

Other Restaurant Chains Actively Hiring Right Now

If you're exploring food service jobs more broadly, several major chains are running active national hiring campaigns alongside Hardee's:

Burger King is in the middle of its largest hiring push in years, with 60,000 openings at locations nationwide. Roles range from team member to general manager, with training programs at every level.

McDonald's is ramping up for summer with 375,000 positions across company-owned and franchise locations. Their hiring events typically take place in April and May.

Chipotle Mexican Grill has been consistently hiring and is known for above-average pay in the fast-casual segment, with crew members earning $15 to $18 per hour in many markets and a strong internal promotion track.

Taco Bell, Wendy's, and Sonic are also running hiring campaigns, particularly for drive-through and kitchen roles ahead of the summer rush.

For workers who lost jobs when ARC Burger's Hardee's locations closed, the current labor market in food service represents a real opening — whether that is returning to Hardee's under its new corporate structure or exploring opportunities at competing chains hiring right now.

People Also Asked

Q: How many Hardee's locations are reopening in 2026?

A: Hardee's plans to reopen more than 40 locations that were previously operated by franchisee ARC Burger, which closed 77 restaurants across 8 states in late 2025. Reopenings are confirmed or underway in Georgia, Missouri, and South Carolina, with more markets expected to follow.

Q: What types of jobs are available at the reopening Hardee's locations?

A: Hardee's is hiring crew members, cooks, kitchen staff, shift leaders, and restaurant managers at the newly corporate-owned reopening locations. Entry-level crew roles require no prior experience, and management candidates with fast food or restaurant experience are especially in demand.

Q: How do I apply for a job at a reopening Hardee's restaurant?

A: You can apply directly through the Hardee's careers page at hardees.com/careers, or search for open listings on Indeed and ZipRecruiter. Look for postings labeled "now corporate owned" — those are the newly reopened corporate locations with active hiring.

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