Mccalla's First Zaxby's Hatches Monday, July 14

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Jefferson County's Seventh Zaxby's Opens Underscores Chain's Rapid Expansion

July 11, 2008 // Franchising.com // McCALLA, Ala. — Zaxby's licensees Derek Weilbaecher and Steve Silva will open the doors to McCalla's first Zaxby's restaurant on Monday. Zaxby's, a Southeast favorite for chicken fingers and Buffalo wings, is located at 4815 Bell Hill Road, across from the CVS pharmacy. The restaurant will operate from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Saturday.

"We are pleased to offer another convenient Zaxby's location to Jefferson County residents," said Weilbaecher, who, along with his partner, also owns Zaxby's locations in Bessemer, Trussville and Birmingham. "We look forward to providing the same exceptional food and signature service residents have come to expect from Zaxby's, while continuing our involvement in the community as a good neighbor and business partner."

The new restaurant showcases Zaxby's unique interior design, featuring a bright, open interior décor, complemented by vintage memorabilia and signage. The 3,195-square-foot restaurant will provide comfortable booths and tables, with a seating capacity of 72. Zaxby's also provides drive-thru services to meet the needs of customers on the go.

The new Zaxby's is the seventh for Jefferson County and the 48th for the state as the chain continues its rapid expansion. Zaxby's currently operates more than 440 restaurants in 12 states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

An alternative to fast food, Zaxby's offers prepared-at-order chicken fingers, wings, sandwiches and salads. Zaxby's most popular items are its hand-breaded Chicken Fingerz and Jumbo Buffalo Wings, smothered in a choice of eight sauces with names like Wimpy, Tongue Torch, Nuclear and Insane. 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 440 units in 12 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and continues to grow. For more information, visit www.zaxbys.com.

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