CINCINNATI — Just months after opening its first Cincinnati restaurant, the company behind Dolly’s Burgers and Shakes is closing all of its locations in Cincinnati and Dayton.
In a release, Big Boy Restaurant Group LLC said all existing Dolly's locations will close on Oct. 23 amid a legal battle over the restaurant's preferred name.
Our I-Team reported in February that the Michigan-based company began leasing empty Frisch's Big Boy locations after eviction filings forced dozens of closings in the Tri-State. The goal was to open the chain's "Big Boy" restaurants in Southwest Ohio.
But BBRG was sued by the new owners of surviving Frisch's locations, forcing them to use a different name in Frisch's territory (which includes most of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky). So, it opened its locations under the name Dolly's Burgers and Shakes, named after the Big Boy character's girlfriend.
BBRG CEO Tamer Afr told us at the time they were planning on opening "50-plus" Dolly's locations in the area. However, our check in September showed their six Southwest Ohio spots were struggling to fill the shoes of their Boy Boy rival, with empty parking lots and several food safety violations.
WATCH: The WCPO 9 I-Team looks at Dolly's results in the months since it opened
In its release, BBRG said it is "stepping back" from Southwest Ohio amid the litigation, but "the company remains hopeful that once the matter is resolved, it will be able to return and reopen its doors under the Big Boy name."
The company did not say in its release what would happen to current employees, only thanking them for "their professionalism, resilience and commitment throughout this period."
