Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Business
BusinessLocal

Krystal Hamburger Chain Moving Corporate HQ to Atlanta

Posted byBy Stan | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Krystal, the iconic little square burgers that are the South’s answer to the North’s White Castle, is uprooting from its Tennessee roots to head to Atlanta, reports the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The Krystal Co. announced Wednesday it will move from Chattanooga, Tenn., to a new headquarters in north Atlanta in early 2013. About 60 employees work at its corporate office.

“Our five-year plan calls for aggressive new store growth and Atlanta provides a more central location with access to the one of the country’s largest airports,” CEO Doug Pendergast said in a statement. “Our new support center will enable us to provide better support to our existing restaurants and to accelerate new restaurant development across the Southeast.”

Atlanta-based Argonne Capital Group LLC bought the mini-burger chain in March. The company shared its plans for the brand with Atlanta Business Chronicle in June.

Founded in Chattanooga by the Davenport family in 1932, Krystal now has about 350 restaurants in 11 states. The goal is to add 150 restaurants in the next five years.

Krystal will honor its Chattanooga roots with a museum and 80th anniversary celebration in that city next year.

Independent journalism doesn't fund itself.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top