CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A popular barbecue restaurant is closing one Charlotte location on Friday.
Sonny's BBQ, the franchise originally founded in Gainesville, Florida, in 1968, is shuttering its restaurant on Tyvola Road after being open for over four decades.
The company did not disclose exactly why the franchise owner decided to close this particular location in Charlotte, but their public relations firm said "their development team is currently searching for other potential sites in the Charlotte market."
"Sonny’s BBQ thanks the Charlotte community for all of the love and support it has shown since the restaurant’s opening in 1981 and will continue to serve the Charlotte community for any future catering or community needs," Sonny's Franchise Company said in a statement released to WCNC Charlotte on Friday.
The three other locations in the area -- located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Mooresville, North Carolina, and Concord, North Carolina -- will stay open.
"Sonny’s fans can still get their fix of barbeque slathered in southern hospitality at the other existing Carolina locations, where they will also see the familiar smiling faces of team members from the Tyvola Road restaurant," Sonny's Franchise Company said in a statement released to WCNC Charlotte.
Sonny's BBQ has more than 100 locations all across the southeastern United States.