A building that has sat empty for years on Loudon Road in Latham is getting new life as Herbie's Burger, the Capital Region smashburger chain, moves into the old Pizza Hut at 638 Loudon Road for its first-ever franchise location. The franchise will be independently owned and operated by Elizabeth Gregory, who started out as a cook for the company before working her way into its corporate ranks.
According to NEWS10 ABC, Gregory began working as a cook at Herbie's four years before the outlet's report and later joined the company's corporate team. Herbie's described her new franchise as a full-circle moment both for her and for the brand, the station reports. The company also told NEWS10 that choosing the Latham site came down to two things: the location itself and the nostalgia factor of reviving a recognizable old building.
Herbie’s began as a pop-up, appearing at do-it-yourself shows, outside bars and at street festivals before opening its first permanent restaurant on Albany’s Lark Street in 2021. The company’s account of its beginnings describes that first shop as the starting point for its expansion across the Capital Region—a path that now includes both storefronts and food-court locations.
Why an Old Pizza Hut Appealed to Herbie's
Herbie's team said the former Pizza Hut fits the brand's affection for 1980s and 1990s nostalgia, and that the building can be given a second life while keeping its recognizable character intact, per the same NEWS10 report. The company described the structure as being in good shape overall, though nearly everything else inside would need to be replaced or renovated. The chain's own team plans to open the Latham location sometime in 2027, the station notes.
The Latham project fits a wider pattern of restaurant operators adapting former Pizza Hut buildings for new concepts. Virginia-based Pupatella has opened pizzerias in former Pizza Huts in Reston and Leesburg, with a conversion in Columbia, Maryland, already underway and scheduled to open in early 2024. The standalone sites’ parking and patios appealed to the operator, which kept useful parts of the buildings while renovating much of the interiors.
Separately, 104.5 The Team reported that the Pizza Hut building was most recently home to an Indian restaurant and, according to Herbie's, had sat empty for seven or eight years before the burger chain stepped in, a detail the station attributes directly to the company.
A Growing Footprint Across the Capital Region
Herbie's Burger, billed as a local smashburger chain that has been expanding steadily across the Capital Region, currently has locations in Guilderland, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Lark Street in Albany, and the Empire State Plaza food court in Albany, per NEWS10's reporting. The brand also has three locations in the New York City area. 104.5 The Team has reported the chain operating 10 restaurants in total, with eight in the Capital Region and recent expansion into New York City and Brooklyn.
The Times Union reported in August that Herbie's had eight locations at that point, with two more New York City locations expected to open in the weeks that followed. That same report detailed the chain's relocated Lark Street restaurant at 258 Lark Street in Albany, in the former Bombers Burrito Bar space, which the Times Union described as Herbie's first two-floor concept and its first location to serve alcohol. NEWS10 separately noted that the 258 Lark Street spot was a relocation of the original Herbie's, which opened in 2021 at 196 Lark Street.
More Changes on the Way, Including a Drive-Through
Beyond Latham, Herbie's has told NEWS10 it plans to either renovate or relocate its Guilderland location and open its first-ever drive-through spot on Central Avenue. Nick Warchol previously told NEWS10 about those same plans for the Guilderland site and the Central Avenue drive-through. NEWS10 has also reported that Herbie's expected to soon open both the drive-through and the Latham franchise.
Herbie's menu includes smashburgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, fries, and milkshakes, according to NEWS10's reporting. The Daily Gazette has also noted that Herbie's previously had a location in the Galleria 7 Market at 1214 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham, putting the chain's history in the area ahead of this latest franchise announcement.
