Listeners:
Top listeners:
Revolution Radio Your home for the best variety of Christian music
Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network
Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network (Abovecast Backup) Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network
Home For The Holidays Radio
Big Sports Radio (Weekend of August 16, 2024) LMBC Sports, LLC
MATTOON — Mattoon-area residents now have two fewer restaurants to grab a bite to eat.
The Denny’s restaurant on Richmond Avenue permanently closed earlier this month.
“Denny’s has 44 other locations in Illinois, and one nearby at 1307 N. Keller Dr.,” the PR firm representing Denny’s said in a statement to Heartland Newsfeed. “We’d like to thank our team members and local community for their love of the Denny’s brand.”
The Mattoon location opened in May 2016 at its location on 224 E. Richmond Ave.
According to a report from the Journal-Gazette & Times-Courier, a sign was posted on the front door of the location:
We are closed. Thanks for all the support for the last eight years. We can’t stay in business.
The note was signed by franchise owner David Behrends, who also owns a franchise location just off of Interstate 70 in Vandalia. No specifics were provided as to when or why the restaurant closed.
The next closest location from the Mattoon/Charleston area is the Keller address mentioned by the PR firm, which is just off of Interstate 57 in Effingham.
Heartland Newsfeed sought comment from Behrends, but did not receive a response prior to publication.
Denny’s made plans to close 50 locations in late 2024 and 100 more in 2025, with those targeted being underperforming franchise locations. It is currently unknown if the Mattoon restaurant locations is related to the closures.
Another business to close its doors was the Wendy’s restaurant located at 1209 E. Broadway Ave in Mattoon, which closed permanently at the beginning of the month.
The closure come as a result of corporate actions being taken last year as part of a self-described “restructuring” initiative, which include the closure of 150 locations nationwide.
Requests for comments from Wendy’s were not returned as of publication.
The nearest open Wendy’s restaurant location is in Effingham.
The two store closures follow closures that occurred last year with many Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) locations closing, including the location on Charleston Avenue and the location off of Illinois Route 16 in Charleston.
Despite the recent restaurant closures, the Mattoon/Charleston area has seen an influx of new stores and restaurants in recent months. They include Chipotle and Chic-Fil-A in Mattoon’s ongoing Emerald Acres development, with most of the construction completed for the adjacent shopping center. One section nof the new shopping center remains unfinished due to Kohl’s suddenly withdrawing from the project. It is unknown which retailer could take its place.
Also joining the Emerald Acres development is Panda Express, whose building is currently under construction. The planned opening date is set for the spring.
All of these restaurants are the first locations to be established within Coles County.
Meanwhile, the sports complex is in the second phase of construction, which should be completed by some time in 2026
Plans for the vacant structures are currently unknown.
The City of Mattoon and its public information officer could not be reached for comment about the closures or potential plans to fill the spaces.
Jake Leonard contributed additional information through outside informational support and analysis for this report.
For more Coles County (IL) news, follow Jake Leonard on Twitter @JakeLeonardJRN and Heartland Newsfeed @HLNF_Bulletin on Twitter.
Additionally, you can follow Heartland Newsfeed on Facebook and Reddit among other platforms. You can now follow our news updates on Telegram and MeWe.
Support independent journalism. Become a patron on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. There are other donor options as well.
Get the latest news updates on our radio network via Spreaker, TuneIn, and other platforms.
I am a college senior at Eastern Illinois University. I cover a wide variety of topics across Central Illinois such as protests, artistic and cultural events, local economic development, and the occasional column.
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Written by: Jacob Hamm
Daily deadlines
News and sports submissions: 11 p.m. Central
Advertising, legals, obituaries: 5 p.m. Central
Monday-Friday deadlines
Other business inquiries: 5 p.m. Central
Publication times
Late breaking news as it happens
Normal publication: 11 p.m. Central daily
Other news: Published as it’s made available
Some rights reserved 2017-2024 by Heartland Newsfeed, a Heartland Media Group of Central Illinois and Eastern Missouri media property. Content published by Heartland Newsfeed staff is covered by the BipCot NoGov license. This allows use and re-use by anyone except governments and government agents. License on record. Pro Radio theme designed and developed by Qantum Themes S.L.U.
Post comments (0)