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Business Briefs: Knoxville Wendy’s sold to JAE Group

FILE - This Friday, March 21, 2014, file photo, shows a Wendy's restaurant in Providence, R.I. A Twitter plea from a Nevada teen for a year free chicken nuggets from Wendy’s became the most retweeted tweet of all time on May 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) FILE - This Friday, March 21, 2014, file photo, shows a Wendy's restaurant in Providence, R.I. A Twitter plea from a Nevada teen for a year free chicken nuggets from Wendy’s became the most retweeted tweet of all time on May 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

By Staff and Wire Reports March 1, 2018 5 min read

Knoxville Wendy’s sold to JAE Group

JAE Restaurant Group, one of the largest multi-unit franchisees of Wendy’s, has acquired 34 Wendy’s restaurants in the Knoxville market, making JAE Restaurant Group a major employer in East Tennessee with a total of 1,150 employees.

JAE owns 212 other Wendy’s restaurants in North, South and Central Florida, and in Albuquerque and El Pason. In Knoxville, JAE Restaurant Group plans to remodel four Wendy’s units this year to include updated features such as fireplaces, a variety of inviting seating options, Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and digital menu boards. The company has an overall goal to eventually remodel all Knoxville Wendy’s and open another 10 to 12 locations in the market over the next four years.

“JAE looks forward to expanding Wendy’s presence and positively impacting communities throughout Knoxville and across the country,” company chairman Eddie Rodriguez said.

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