The Varsity to open new Athens, Bethlehem locations

Fans of The Varsity will be able to order a chili cheese dog and onion rings after a simple “What’ll ya have” in the Athens area again without driving to metro Atlanta.

The Varsity announced Monday on social media that it plans to open two new locations in Barrow and Oconee counties, less than a month after closing its iconic West Broad Street location in Athens.

University of Georgia football fans will still be able to cheer with a “frosted orange” in hand on gamedays, but it’ll be a longer drive from Sanford Stadium.

The Oconee location will be on Parkway Boulevard near Epps Bridge Parkway and the Oconee Connector, just across the border of Athens-clarke County. The Bethlehem restaurant will be located at The Gateway at University Parkway shopping center by Ga. 316.

“We are incredibly grateful for the many years of support from our customers in Athens and are excited to break ground soon at our new locations in Athens

and Bethlehem, Ga.,” the company said in the post. “We look forward to serving those communities for years to come!”

The post on social media did not list an opening date or timeframe for the two locations. The company initially announced the new locations in an advertisement in the Sunday print edition of the Athens Banner-herald.

The flagship location of The Varsity opened in 1928 on North Avenue in Atlanta. Close to Georgia Tech, it continues to serve hungry customers.

The burger joint started grilling hamburgers and hot dogs in Athens on College Avenue across from the Arch at the University of Georgia in 1932. Its iconic location at Broad Street and Milledge Avenue opened in 1964.

Memorabilia from the former locations on Broad Street in Athens and Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta went up for sale in an online auction on Monday. A mixed-use development with residential homes and commercial businesses is slated for the former Athens site.

The Varsity currently has locations in Atlanta, Dawsonville, Kennesaw and Norcross. It also has a smaller location in Hartsfield-jackson International Airport.

AJC FILE Slaw dogs, fries and a coke will be back in reach of Varsity fans in the Athens area when two new sites open to replace the closed West Broad Street eatery.