It’s a weird feeling, driving past a place that’s been part of your Saturday morning routine for twenty years and seeing the windows dark. For folks in the Queen City, the recent wave of Frisch's restaurants Cincinnati closures hasn't just been about business; it’s felt like losing a piece of the city’s DNA. You know the statue. The chubby kid in the checkered overalls holding the burger. He’s been a permanent fixture on Cincinnati street corners since 1939, but lately, that statue has been looking a lot more like a relic than a landmark.
Honestly, the situation is a mess.
One day you’re grabbing a Big Boy and a slice of hot fudge cake, and the next, there’s a lockout notice taped to the glass. It didn't happen all at once, which somehow makes it worse. It’s been a slow-motion car crash of legal filings, unpaid rent, and a bizarre "turf war" that sounds like something out of a movie.
The Rent Crisis: Why the Doors Are Locking
Basically, it all comes down to money and a very specific type of real estate deal that went south. Back in 2015, Frisch's was bought by NRD Capital, an Atlanta-based private equity firm. Shortly after that, they did what's called a sale-leaseback. They sold the land under the restaurants to a company called NNN Reit (formerly National Retail Properties) for about $47 million and then agreed to lease the buildings back to keep running the diners.
It seemed like a smart way to get quick cash at the time. But there was a catch.
The leases included annual rent increases. As food costs climbed and labor shortages hit after 2020, those monthly checks became harder and harder to write. By late 2024, the numbers were staggering. NNN Reit claimed in court documents that Frisch's was behind on rent at 65 locations, owing more than $4.5 million.
The Eviction Wave
When you owe $4.5 million to your landlord, things get ugly fast. In the fall of 2024, a blitz of eviction filings hit the courts in Hamilton, Clermont, Butler, and Warren counties.
Some of the most iconic spots didn't survive the first round. The Anderson Township location on Beechmont Avenue? Gone. The Forest Park spot in Chase Plaza? Closed. Even the Middletown location on Germantown Road was ordered to vacate. At one point, nearly a quarter of all remaining Frisch’s locations were staring down a judge’s order to pack up.
The Big Boy "Turf War" and the Dolly’s Experiment
Here is where it gets truly strange. You might have noticed some former Frisch’s spots briefly turning into something called Dolly’s Burgers and Shakes. This wasn't some random startup.
Because Frisch's was struggling, the landlord (NNN Reit) started re-leasing some of those closed buildings to a different company: the Michigan-based Big Boy Restaurant Group. Now, if you aren't a burger historian, you might not know that Frisch’s and the national Big Boy brand have been legally separate for decades. Frisch's actually owns the exclusive rights to the "Big Boy" name in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.
💡 You might also like: Canadian Dollar to AUD: Why These Two Currencies Don't Always Move Together
When the Michigan group tried to move into Cincinnati to "save" the brand, Frisch's sued them.
A judge issued a restraining order, saying the Michigan guys couldn't use the Big Boy name on Frisch's home turf. So, they pivoted. They opened six locations under the name "Dolly’s" (named after Big Boy’s girlfriend in the old comic books). It didn't work. By October 2025, the litigation was still a nightmare, and the Michigan group pulled the plug, closing all six Dolly's locations in Cincinnati and Dayton.
The buildings are sitting empty again. It’s a ghost town of burger joints.
Who Is Running What’s Left?
In November 2024, a group of senior executives from within Frisch's—people like Don Short and Cheryl White—stepped up to buy what was left of the brand. They’ve been with the company for decades. They want to save it.
🔗 Read more: Sparkman Center Huntsville AL: What Really Goes On Inside
They’ve been honest about the fact that some locations just aren't "viable" anymore. The strategy now is basically triage: keep the profitable stores running, invest in them, and let the underperforming ones go. As of early 2026, the count of open restaurants is a fraction of what it was a decade ago. We went from over 120 locations down to roughly 30 to 35.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Closures
A lot of people think the food just got bad, or that "nobody eats at diners anymore." While it's true that tastes change, the Frisch's restaurants Cincinnati closures were driven much more by corporate debt and real estate contracts than by a lack of love for the Tartar Sauce.
- The "Private Equity" Effect: When companies are bought by firms looking for quick returns, the long-term health of the individual kitchen often takes a backseat to the balance sheet.
- The Rent Trap: Paying nearly $19,000 a month in rent per store (which is where many of these leases ended up) is a massive hurdle for a mid-priced family diner.
- The Trademark Trap: The very legal protections that kept Frisch’s "special" in Cincinnati for 80 years ended up preventing other Big Boy operators from coming in to help when things got desperate.
Current Status: Where Can You Still Get a Big Boy?
If you're craving that specific breakfast buffet or a vanilla coke, you have to be more strategic about where you go. The "Big Boy Graveyard" in Cincinnati—a lot where old statues are kept—is getting more residents every year, but some survivors remain.
The locations in Hamilton (Main St.), West Chester (Cincinnati-Dayton Rd.), and Liberty Township have managed to stay the course through the restructuring. However, it's always a good idea to check the official website or call ahead. The landscape is shifting almost monthly as the new management team tries to stabilize the ship.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Locals
If you want to see the brand survive, here is how the situation actually works right now:
- Support the "Safe" Locations: The management group is looking at foot traffic to decide which stores get "investment" and which get the "lockout" treatment. If a store is busy, it has a much higher chance of surviving the next lease negotiation.
- Use the App: The new owners are leaning heavily into digital loyalty programs to prove the brand still has a future with younger diners.
- Watch the Court Dockets: If you live near a specific location and want to know its fate, look for "NNN Reit vs. Frisch's" filings in your local county's municipal court. That’s usually where the news breaks weeks before the signs come down.
- Expect Smaller Menus: To survive, the remaining stores are likely to trim the "everything for everyone" menu into something more manageable to combat food waste and rising costs.
The era of a Frisch's on every corner is over. That’s just the reality of the 2026 business climate in Southwest Ohio. But the brand isn't dead yet—it's just leaner, a little bit bruised, and fighting to keep that checkered-overall kid standing in at least a few neighborhoods.
💡 You might also like: 1 USD to Philippine Peso Today: Why the 59 Barrier is the New Normal
The fate of the remaining stores now rests on whether the internal buyout group can renegotiate those 20-year leases with NNN Reit or find new landlords who aren't looking for $20,000 a month. For now, the Big Boy is still standing, but he's definitely checking his watch.