Dozens of Hardee’s locations across nine states are set to shut down after franchisee ARC Burger, LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The major operator — one of the chain’s largest — is liquidating its assets and shutting down 77 Hardee’s locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina and Wyoming. The proceeds from the liquidation will be distributed to creditors.

The collapse follows a months-long legal battle between ARC and Hardee’s, which alleges the franchisee racked up more than $6.5 million in unpaid fees and royalties.

Hardee’s is hardly the only fast-food chain or operator struggling.

Recently, Fat Brands announced it was filing for bankruptcy  protection. Fat Brands is the parent company of 18 restaurant chains, including Fatburger, Fazoli’s, Johnny Rockets, Twin Peaks, Smoky Bones, Great American Cookies, Ponderosa, Elevation Burger, Round Table Pizza and Marble Slab Creamery.

The Mets have ripped off 11 wins in 15 games after a trade deadline sell-off. They have won four of their last five series and have injected a bit of life into what had been a miserable season.

It will take an enormous run to even be in contention in mid-September. The Mets still trail the Padres by 10 games for the third and final NL wild-card spot, and six other teams are ahead of them. 

To reach 83 wins, the number of victories the final wild-card team secured a year ago, the Mets would need to go 25-9. That’s a .735 winning percentage, an extraordinarily tall order.

The Mets have the seventh-most difficult remaining strength of schedule, their opponents owning a combined .520 winning percentage. 

It includes 12 games against division leaders (White Sox and Rays on the road, Brewers and Astros at home).

Aaron Rodgers, who re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason and said that his 22nd NFL season will be his last, reiterated his desire to retire at training camp. “This it it,” he said. 

The thought of retirement has hovered around Rodgers for quite some time now, including this offseason, when the Steelers, and the rest of the NFL, for that matter, waited patiently to see if this was indeed the end of his career.

In his first season with the Steelers in 2025, Rodgers went 10-6, throwing for 3,322 yards with a 65.7% completion rate and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

The Steelers have bolstered its offense this season, adding veteran wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts.