The Varsity Says It Will Return To Athens After Closing Location

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.