Popular Southern-style restaurant abruptly closes SLO County location

A slice of Southern comfort food left Atascadero on Monday after the Huckleberry’s Breakfast & Lunch restaurant abruptly closed.

A sign on the window alerted customers about the closure.

“We regret to inform you that this restaurant is now permanently closed,” the sign said. “We sincerely thank you for your support and patronage over the years.”

After substantial renovations, the restaurant with an upbeat, “y’all come” atmosphere and down-home specialties opened in August 2023 in the former Denny’s location at 6910 El Camino Real, a block from Sunken Gardens.

But a substantial factor in the decision to close was the impact of recent road construction, Heritage Restaurant Brands CEO Greg Graber told The Tribune on Tuesday. The local restaurant group owns brands like Huckleberry’s, Press Quesadilla Grill and Perko’s.

In Atascadero, “the restaurant experienced road construction directly in front of the entrance for many months in 2025, and we believe consumers developed new traffic and dining patterns that never returned once the road construction was complete,” Graber said.

He said those changes “dealt a devastating blow to the restaurant’s revenue,” which pushed franchisee Ray Tavokoli to close the restaurant and focus on his other Huckleberry’s locations in Santa Maria, Clovis and Fresno.”

“We take restaurant closings very seriously and wish we could have found a way to make it work in Atascadero,” Graber said. “With that said, sometimes franchisees have to evaluate their portfolio and make decisions that are better for the ‘greater good.’”

Huckleberry’s has expanded rapidly in recent years, going from 21 locations in 2022 to over 30, according to its website. Those include a few restaurants in Texas.

Heritage Brands also plans to open three more Huckleberry’s soon, one in California, one in Texas and one in Portland, Oregon, according to the website.

Fans of the restaurant, however, aren’t totally out of luck. The Huckleberry’s at 300 Five Cities Drive in Pismo Beach remains open.

“We look forward to serving all Atascadero guests that are willing to take the short trip,” Graber said. “We’ll take great care of them.”

This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 11:10 AM.

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

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Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.