Columbia's Newest Zaxby's Hatches Monday, August 17

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New Location Marks Second for Columbia This Year; Seventh for Richland County Overall for the Chain

August 17, 2009 // Franchising.com // COLUMBIA, S.C. — Zaxby's licensee Britt Poston and his brother Jim Poston will open the doors to Columbia's newest Zaxby's restaurant on Monday. The new Zaxby's, a Southeast favorite for chicken fingers and Buffalo wings, is located at 2001 N. Beltline Blvd., at the intersection of Falcon Drive, across the street from A.C. Flora High School. The restaurant will operate daily from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

"We are pleased to offer another convenient Zaxby's location in Columbia," said Britt, who owns three of the six Zaxby's restaurants in Columbia. "We have enjoyed a great relationship with our loyal customers here and look forward to continuing to be 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 approximately 3,000-square-foot restaurant will provide comfortable booths and tables, with a seating capacity of 90. Zaxby's also provides drive-thru services to meet the needs of customers on the go.

Britt believes the restaurant — from the atmosphere to the service — will exceed community expectations. "We've assembled a great team of over 40 associates 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 Britt.

The new location is the seventh for Richland County and the 72nd for the state. This location is also the second Zaxby's opening in Columbia this year, as the Postons opened a location in May off Killian Road. Zaxby's currently operates more than 475 locations in 11 states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, 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 10 sauces with names like Wimpy, Tongue Torch, Nuclear and Insane. The menu also offers innovative Zappetizers — Onion Rings, Tater Chips (home-style potato chips), Spicy Fried Mushrooms and for a limited time Fried White Cheddar Bites, 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 Zensation. All of Zaxby's Zalads offer more chicken, unique ingredients, such as French-fried onions, fresh veggies and juicy tomatoes and are larger than most salads offered elsewhere. Each is prepared with chicken, three kinds of lettuce and a variety of toppings. The Zensation rejoined the menu for a limited time only this spring and features Chicken Fingerz drizzled with honey sesame glaze, mixed with red cabbage, carrots, various greens, crispy wonton strips, and topped with Asian slaw. The Zensation is served with Citrus Vinaigrette dressing and a tasty veggie egg roll. All Zalads are 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 most delicious 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 475 units in 11 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and continues to grow.

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