A BELOVED comfort food restaurant will close its last location in one popular US city, as the chain looks to leave the state entirely.
Regulars have come out to express their sadness at the closure, but the chain could be back in the future, it has been said.
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Hops n Drops, the casual sit-down burger chain, is self billed as a “neighborhood gathering place”, but not for much longer.
Originally called Hop Jacks before a 2018 name change, the chain is losing a location in Colorado, as it looks set to vanish from the state all together.
The location at 820 Stetson Hills Blvd. is the last of the three Hops n Drops left in the state, per Gazette.
Its closing within hours.
Kevin Eggen, Hops n Drops CEO, confirmed it was part of a wider plan to pull out of the area entirely.
He said: “Our sales just never really took off and our volume — it never really got as busy as we’d thought it would be.
“We really liked Colorado and we want to be in Colorado, but right now we need to focus on our core market in Washington and Oregon.”
The closure notice has left fans in disrepair, as the family-first chain leaves behind a plate full of memories.
The notice said: “Thank you for the support, memories and good times over the years.”
The sign also encouraged customers to come by one last time for a goodbye burger.
It continued: “Most of all, let us thank you in person and say goodbye.”
The Stetson Hills spot closes at 10pm local time on Thursday.
SOCIAL MEDIA SAYS GOOBYE
Social media has been hit with tearful farewells from regulars.
One customer, called Derek Wilson, said on Facebook: “I’m so sad about this. Love this place. You’ll be missed.”
Brigitte McAdams added: “I love going there. [I] really like their food and drinks, especially the drops.
“I was there with my friend a few days after they first opened and it became one of my favorite spots. So sad.
And another wrote: “So sad we will miss this place and all the employee’s.”
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain’s affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 ‘underperforming’ locations this year.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili’s: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California, and one in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- Friendly’s: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana. This was followed in July by a bankruptcy filing from its parent company which announced the closure of 150 locations.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Red Lobster: The seafood chain filed for bankruptcy in May and shuttered over 100 locations.
- Taco John’s: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Frisco’s Chicken: The poultry restaurant shuttered all of its locations over the summer
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
- Foster’s Freeze: Shuttered a location in California after five decades in business due to financial struggles.
- Chicken Salad Chick: After nine years the restaurant shuttered one location in Jacksonville, Florida, with no reason given.
- México Lindo: The New York City-based restaurant announced its final day after 52 years and finally shuttered its doors for good on July 31.
- American Dream Pizza: Closed all of its locations in Oregon in July.
- Tender Greens: The Southern California-based chain filed for bankruptcy.
- Lefty’s Famous Cheesesteaks, Hoagies, & Grill: Abruptly shuttered 18 locations in July due to a family feud.
- Firehouse Subs: Shuttered a location in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State over the summer citing “unforeseen circumstances”
- Taco Time: The Taco Bell rival shuttered a location in Seattle after 50 years following a death in the franchise owner’s family.
- Burgerim: Shuttered a location in Burlington, Massachusetts in July, reigniting bankruptcy fears from 2020.
- Denny’s: The chain has shuttered over 40 locations so far this year with the owner of the one outlet blaming vandalism.
- Starbucks: The chain shuttered one of its most iconic locations in New York City after almost three decades with fans blaming crime. It also lost a location in Seattle.
- Subway: In August, the sandwich chain shuttered over 20 locations across the US and Canada after a franchisee lost money after being a victim of fraud.
- IHOP: A restaurant in New Hampshire shut its doors after 24 years, leaving four locations in the state.
- Switchback Coffee Roasters: The popular chain filed for bankruptcy in August after over a decade in business.
- Jimmy John’s: The sandwich shop chain shuttered a location in Nevada on August 19 after 12 years citing overexpansion issues.
- KFC: Closed the remaining three locations in Rockford, Illinois all on the same day on August 19. In total, it closed six locations across four cities in Illinois.
- Rusty Bucket: The chicken shop chain confirmed it would officially leave Florida as it announced a handful of closures including in Sarasota and Ohio.
- Buca di Beppo: The Olive Garden rival abruptly shuttered 44 locations across five states before filing for bankruptcy.
- Red Robin: Announced the closure of its Ashburn, Virginia location on August 25 after 15 years in business.
- Noodles & Company: Shuttered dozens of locations due to their contribution to around $2 million worth of losses.
- Shoney’s: The classic American-style food chain founded in 1947 officially exited Ohio after three decades of business as it reduced its operational footprint.
- Homegrown: The sandwich chain based in Seattle announced the closure of 10 locations leaving 150 employees in the lurch.
- World of Beer: Filed for bankruptcy after closing 14 outlets.
- Arby’s: The chain announced a number of closures this year including in Lexington, Kentucky, Akron, Ohio,
- Uno Pizzeria & Grill: Shuttered a location in New Jersey in July, leaving just two in the state, followed by the closure of a Baltimore location in August.
- Hart House: Shutterd all four locations in California in September just two years after the vegan fast-food restaurant chain was launched by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
Hops n Drops has confirmed that its roughly 30 employees at the spot have been offered a relocation or help to place them in other jobs.
Eggen added: “The fact that everyone, all our employees, stayed on with us and wanted to see it through [to close], that shows their support for their customers and the company.”
He also gave fans something to hold on to, suggesting that they could be back in the future, but remained cautionary.
He confirmed: “Never say never, but right now it’s a stretch.”
Hops n Drops will have 19 locations across the Pacific Northwest, including 16 in Washington and three in Oregon, according to its website.
Hops n Drops has also recently closed its two Denver-suburb area locations this year, in Broomfield and Highlands Ranch.
The Highlands Ranch spot closed on February 27 and Broomfield shut recently, on April 17.
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