ATHENS, Ga. (AP) A day after The Varsity served its last chili dog in its longtime Athens location, the Georgia restaurant said that it plans a return to the college town.
The restaurant closed Sunday. By Monday, signs had been removed from the location The Varsity had occupied since 1964, The Athens Banner-Herald reported. The restaurant had operated in other Athens locations since 1932.
``We are incredibly grateful for the many years of support from our customers in Athens and we look forward to serving them again soon at a new location in the Athens area,'' the company wrote on social media.
The Gordy family, which owns the Atlanta-based fast food chain, has won permission from Athens-Clarke County to tear down the current restaurant for redevelopment. Athens-Clarke Commissioner Melissa Link froze the demolition plan, but lifted it on May 26.
Assistant Planning Director Bruce Lonnee said the planning department also completed a review of the demolition plan. That cleared the way for a demolition permit. Lonnee said no one has applied yet, but said a delay is not unusual and that it might only take a day for the city-county to issue a permit.
No plans have been filed yet for what will replace the restaurant. The Varsity still operates multiple Atlanta-area locations, including its flagship near Georgia Tech.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2021/6/1015675/varsity-says-it-will-return-to-athens-after-closing-location