2 locations of a fast-casual chain that started in Lexington have closed
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- Fazoli’s Richmond Road location in Idle Hour shopping center has closed permanently.
- Parent company FAT Brands filed for Chapter 11 in Texas under a month before closure.
- Fazoli’s began in Lexington in 1988 and now maintains four Fayette County locations.
Two locations of Fazoli’s, a fast-casual restaurant chain that begin in Lexington, appear to have closed permanently.
The location of Fazoli’s at 2195 Richmond Rd. in the Idle Hour Shopping Center was listed a permanently closed on restaurant websites and on the restaurant’s Facebook page. No one was answering the phone at the location.
A photo of a closed sign on a menu board was shared on the Lexington Reddit.
Additionally, the Fazoli’s at 2200 Nicholasville Rd. in the Zandale Shopping Center also was listed as permanently closed on restaurant websites.
The moves come less than a month after parent corporation FAT Brands filed for Chapter 11 reorganizational bankruptcy protection in Texas. FAT Brands acquired Fazoli’s in 2021 for $130 million.
Fazoli’s was founded in Lexington as Gratzi’s in 1988 and became known for its fast-casual dining experience and unlimited breadsticks. The chain had five locations in Fayette County, along with Fazoli’s headquarters.
The building for the Richmond Road location began life as a Frisch’s Big Boy drive-in.
“The reason the parking lot is so big on one end is because the Frisch’s had car hops,” Sam Nelson told the Herald-Leader in 2018 after the longtime Fazoli’s restaurant executive retired.
The original Fazoli’s at 1951 N. Broadway closed in 2017.
The locations join a growing list of closing or closed Lexington restaurants, including:
- Zim’s Cafe and Thirsty Fox in the old courthouse downtown
- Tolly-Ho on South Broadway
- Bad Wolf Burgers off Leestown Road
- Joella’s Hot Chicken in Hamburg
- Sam’s Hot Dogs in Lexington Green
- Columbia Steak Express on Southland
- Big City Pizza in Hamburg
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 6:43 PM.
