SLO Carl's Jr. closes after dispute over lease renewal

The Carl's Jr. on Santa Rosa Street closed its doors Saturday after the franchise owner and property owner were unable to agree to terms on a new lease.

A sign taped to the door thanked customers for "all the great years."

Franchise owner and Atascadero resident Eric Strohl said he chose not to renew his lease because of a disagreement over the price. He declined to provide the name of the landowner or details on the negotiations.

Strohl purchased the franchise three years ago from the Carl's Jr. Corp., however the location had been fixture since the 1980s.

"The lease was going to go up (in price), so financially it wouldn't make sense to keep that location," Strohl said.

Fans of the restaurant can still get their fast-food fix at Strohl's other Carl's Jr. location on Broad Street.

Strohl said employees from the Santa Rosa Street location were given the opportunity to transfer to a different Carl's Jr., whether it be his or another one in the area.

"I hate to lose any customers, so if someone still wants Carl's Jr., hopefully they will go to our other location," Strohl said. "As far as all the employees, if they wanted, we were able to offer them a job at our other location."

This story was originally published June 28, 2018 at 6:03 PM.