A new Hardee's restaurant on Harrison Avenue will open on Thursday, returning to Butte after an absence of more than a decade.
The restaurant will be operated by the Lund Brown Group, which runs 11 Hardee’s in Montana and Wyoming. The fast-food restaurant is known for its charbroiled burgers.
The grand opening will start at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, and normal business hours will begin on Friday, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The building, at 2551 Harrison Ave, was home to a Hardee's which folded in the 1990s. The new owners renovated the building over the past several months.
That a chain like Hardee's is coming back shows improving economic health, Butte Local Development Corp. Executive Director Jim Smitham said.
"Many of these chains watch one another," he said. "It starts getting our name out there."
Buffalo Wild Wings plans to open a restaurant in Butte this summer.
While some people might be concerned that a national chain will pull customers away from local businesses, Smitham said that he thinks competition is a good thing.
"We would hope that people patronize our local restaurants along with the chains," he said.