Thirty two years after buying a Wendy's restaurant in LaFayette, Georgia, the local franchisee for Wendy's has opened another Walker County Wendy's restaurant as part of a new $3 million commercial development in Chickamauga, Georgia.
Wen Choo Choo, the local franchisee for Wendy's that Jim Patton began in 1988 in Lafayette, Ga., opened its 12th Wendy's restaurant in the Chattanooga area on Wednesday at 12706 US-27 in Chickamauga, Ga. The new Wendy's is across the street from McDonald's in an increasingly popular area for drive-through pickups, which now account for nearly 90% of Wendy's business in the area.
"We've owned this property since 2005," said Zack DeBord, the third-generation president of the Wendy's franchise. "Over the years, we've accumulated a couple of other pieces of property and as the area has grown and developed, we figured now was the time go ahead and build."
The new Wendy's is the first restaurant built in the market as a part of a commercial center. In addition to the fast-food restaurant, Wen Choo Choo has built 8,750 square feet of office or retail space adjacent to the restaurant for lease for potential medical or other office or storefront users.
Contributed photo by Zack DeBord / New Wendy's restaurant that opened Wednesday along Highway 27 in Chickamauga, Georgia anchors an 8,750-square-foot commercial center."Our goal is try to create a kind of medical facility of some type and we've had a lot of interest so far, although no tenants to announce as of yet," DeBord said.
Wen Choo Choo has previously built its 11 other Wendy's units, including its most recent 2-story restaurant added on Holtzclaw Avenue in Chattanooga in 2015, as freestanding restaurants. The Chickamauga Wendy's that opened this week is the first to be an end cap site built attached to a larger commercial complex developed by Wen Choo Choo.
"We started this project before the pandemic hit and, while we contemplated not going forth when the virus hit, we were so far along we pushed forward," DeBord said. "There has been some nervousness during the pandemic, but we've had a lot of calls and I'm confident this will be a successful project. We're really optimistic about it now and think the restaurant will be a great addition to our business."
The new Wendy's will have a staff of about 20 to 30 full- and part-time employees.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.