A Fuddruckers restaurant called the ‘Blockbuster of the Burger world’ is in the midst of a recession

Despite claiming to serve “the world’s greatest hamburgers,” Fuddruckers has shrunk from hundreds of locations across the country to just 44 restaurants today.

“Fuddruckers is the Blockbuster of the burger world,” Las Vegas-based business coach Brad Sugars told Fox News Digital.

Restaurateur Phil Romano, founder of Romano’s Macaroni Grill, opened the first Fuddruckers in Texas in 1979, and the chain grew rapidly in the 1980s.

Fuddruckers operated between 200 and 500 locations at its peak in the late ’80s, according to Tasting Table.

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The company began to struggle and changed owners several times.

Luby’s acquired Fuddruckers in 2010 after its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Luby’s has announced that it will liquidate Fuddruckers in 2020, and businessman Nicholas Perkins — through his Houston-based company, Black Titan Franchise Systems — bought the chain in 2021 for a reported $18.5 million.

“I think with a new, refreshed management team, with a strategic plan … we’ll be able to make our mark on offense and not be as much on defense as we’ve been in recent years,” Perkins told the Houston Chronicle at the time.

“It’s a rare symptom that goes on for 10, 20, 30, 40 years without changing.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Fuddruckers, as it has many restaurants. The National Restaurant Association reported that six months into the pandemic, 100,000 restaurants had closed — either permanently or temporarily.

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Sugar, who owns two restaurants, said Fuddruckers has failed to adapt to changing customer preferences – both in the food consumers want and how they want to consume it.

“One of the biggest challenges in the restaurant game is keeping up with the times, and the bigger the business, the more difficult it is,” said Sugars. “It’s a rare symptom that goes on for 10, 20, 30, 40 years without changing.”

Entrepreneur Nicholas Perkins’ company bought Fuddruckers and said the chain plans to “dream up” its brand strategy. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Sugar points to Domino’s as an example of a restaurant that listens to customers and has evolved accordingly.

After admitting its pizza quality had declined, Domino’s improved its food while adding wings, pizza bites, hot sandwiches and other menu items, Sugar said.

The company has also built customer loyalty by being “a technology company that sells pizza,” Sugars said — while creating an app that is “much better” than competitors.

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“In a world where delivery has become an expectation for everyone at every restaurant, Domino’s went from competing with other pizza companies to competing with every type of food that can be delivered to Postmates, Grubhub, etc.,” he said.

Domino’s has also invested in research into customer habits, Shukela said. Like Amazon, Domino’s knows “what to buy and when,” allowing it to target shoppers more effectively.

Domino’s is an example of a restaurant that has changed with the times and given consumers what they want, such as easy ordering through an app, the business coach said. (Craig Warga/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I don’t see an app for Fuddruckers,” Sugars said.

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Still, Fuddruckers has some fans left.

A Reddit forum last year asked, “What happened to Fuddruckers? I thought the food was really good, but it looks like everything is closing.”

Fuddruckers used to be everywhere, from furniture stores to private buildings. Now, only 44 places remain. (Gregory Rec/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Commenters suggested the Fuddruckers’ large, warehouse-style location — similar to a “themed restaurant” — did not appeal to customers.

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Someone who claims to be in charge of the original franchise wrote that “special concepts have a shelf life. As unique as the original Fudds was, it probably ran its course.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Fuddruckers and Black Titan Franchise Systems for comment.