Joyland closes Birmingham location after 2 years

Nearly two years after it first opened in Birmingham, Nashville-based fast casual concept Joyland has served its last Crustburger.

Joyland closes Avondale location following Nashville closures

Six years after its founding, Joyland is no more.

Founded in Nashville by Chef Sean Brock in 2020, Joyland was a retro-style fast-casual restaurant concept specializing in elevated fast-food items, such as the Joyburger Deluxe, the Fried Chicken Sandwich with Joy sauce and the original Crustburger. Four years and two Nashville locations later, Chef Brock teamed up with Birmingham’s Pihakis Restaurant Group (PRG) and Franklin, TN’s Southall Farm to open a third location at 3719 Third Ave. South in Avondale, a building that was previously home to Rodney Scott’s BBQ and the legendary Bottletree Café.

In April 2026, numerous restaurants owned by the Pihakis Restaurant Group (PRG) began closing their doors, including multiple Hero Donut and Rodney Scott’s BBQ locations. Now, Joyland is the latest restaurant to join that list.

Joyland GM Jake Blankenship announcing the closure on social media, stating:

“Joyland closed its doors permanently after service last night. Firstly, I want to say thank you all for hanging out with us and joining us and making this place very special. We are just as sad to see it goes as you are, and we are eternally grateful that you decided to spend your time here with us and enjoy some delicious food and share some awesome stories and build some great relationships. I just want to say thank you, and that I’m sad to see it go. But, we won’t forget about you and I hope you don’t forget about us. Thank you for joining us—maybe we’ll see you soon.”

Jake Blankenshop, General Manager, Joyland Avondale

The closure of Joyland’s Birmingham location was preceeded by the closing of both Joyland locations in Nashville in mid-July.

Sad to see Joyland close? What was your favorite dish? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!