Knoxville's First Zaxby's Hatches Monday, February 25

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New Location Marks First For Chain Within City Limits; Underscores Zaxby's Growth Across The Southeast

February 21, 2008 // Franchising.com // KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Zaxby's district manager Denice DeVito will open the doors to Knoxville's first Zaxby's restaurant this Monday. Zaxby's, a Southeast favorite for chicken fingers and Buffalo wings, is located at 2024 Cumberland Ave., on the west end of the strip. The restaurant will operate from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. "We're excited to offer Zaxby's to the residents of Knoxville," said DeVito, who has more than 26 years of experience in the restaurant industry. "Zaxby's exceptional taste and family atmosphere are what first attracted me to this restaurant concept — I am confident area residents will become as passionate about it as I am."

The new restaurant showcases Zaxby's unique interior design, featuring a bright, open interior décor, complemented by vintage memorabilia and signage. The 2,600-square-foot restaurant will provide comfortable booths and tables, with a seating capacity of 75. Zaxby's also provides drive-thru services to meet the needs of customers on the go.

DeVito believes the restaurant — from the atmosphere to the service — will exceed community expectations. "We've assembled a great team of over 40 team members who, we are confident, will deliver on the Zaxby's mission to 'consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time,'" said DeVito.

The new location is the first for Knoxville and the 37th for the state. Zaxby's currently operates more than 415 locations in 10 states throughout the Southeast — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

An alternative to fast food, Zaxby's offers fresh, prepared-at-order chicken fingers, wings, sandwiches and salads. Zaxby's most popular items are its fresh, hand-breaded Chicken Fingerz and Jumbo Buffalo Wings, smothered in a choice of eight sauces with names like Wimpy, Tongue Torch, Nuclear and Insane. For those who love the taste of wings but don't like the bones, Zaxby's is offering its sweet and spicy Boneless Wings Meal for a limited time only. The menu also offers innovative Zappetizers — Onion Rings, Tater Chips (home-style potato chips) and Spicy Fried Mushrooms, as well as a variety of Party Platterz perfect for any family gathering or special occasion.

Zaxby's also offers four salads, or Zalads: The House, The Blue, The Caesar and The Chicken Salad Zalad. All are prepared at order, the first three with grilled or fried chicken, three kinds of lettuce, shredded cheese, fresh veggies and juicy tomatoes. Customers have a choice of buffaloed or blackened chicken when ordering The Blue. All of Zaxby's Zalads offer more chicken and unique ingredients, such as French-fried onions, and are larger than most salads offered elsewhere. Each Zalad is assembled at the time the order is placed, versus being pre-made and stored in a cooler.

Zaxby's is a "quick-casual" restaurant chain headquartered in Athens, Ga. Zaxby's opened its first restaurant in Statesboro, Ga., in March 1990, and by July 2001 opened its 100th location in Jacksonville, Fla. Zaxby's celebrated its 200th restaurant opening in its hometown of Athens, Ga., in May 2004, and in December 2005 observed its 300th opening in Dallas, Ga. In October 2007 Zaxby's opened its 400th location in Macon, Ga.

About Zaxby's
Zaxby's founders Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley looked around their community and saw plenty of fast food or sit-down dining options, but felt something was missing. They decided to provide the freshest chicken fingers and Buffalo wings in town. That hatched a simple idea to create a fun atmosphere where food quality is of the utmost importance. In 1990, they opened the first Zaxby's in Statesboro, Ga. The concept, one of the early "quick-casual" restaurants, proved successful.

McLeroy and Townley opened four more restaurants, and in 1994, they began to franchise the brand. The food and service was so popular, the Athens, Ga.-based chain has boomed to more than 415 units in 10 Southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) and continues to grow. For more information, visit www.zaxbys.com.