Another major burger chain is closing restaurants — but this time the culprit isn’t soaring beef prices or the broader fast-food slump.

Hardee’s, the Tennessee-based chain known for its Southern-style biscuits and burgers, is shutting 77 restaurants across the country after one of its largest operators allegedly stopped paying its bills.

Last month, the burger company filed a lawsuit against ARC Burger — a company backed by High Bluff Capital Partners — accusing it of owing $6.5million in royalties and rent.

After the lawsuit was filed, ARC Burger closed the Hardee’s locations it owns across eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina and Wyoming.

Hardee’s blamed ARC Burger for failing to pay what it owed ‘despite solid sales and our continued attempts over the course of many months to reach a resolution that would keep these restaurants open,’ the company said in a statement to USA Today.

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