Hueytown Zaxby's Hatches Monday, August 24

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New Location Marks Chain's Second Opening in Greater Birmingham This Year

August 20, 2009 // Franchising.com // HUEYTOWN, Ala. — Zaxby's licensees Derek Weilbaecher and Steve Silva will open the doors to Hueytown's first Zaxby's restaurant on Monday. The new Zaxby's, a Southeast favorite for chicken fingers and Buffalo wings, is located at 2880 Allison Bonnett Memorial Drive, just east of Brooklane Drive, near Garywood Assembly of God. The restaurant will operate 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

"We are pleased to offer another convenient Zaxby's location in Greater Birmingham," said Weilbaecher, who along with his partner, also owns Zaxby's locations in Bessemer, Trussville, Irondale, McCalla and Birmingham. "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 3,195-square-foot restaurant will provide comfortable booths and tables, with a seating capacity of 71. Zaxby's also provides drive-thru services to meet the needs of customers on the go.

Weilbaecher 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 Weilbaecher.

The new location is the second Zaxby's to open in Greater Birmingham in 2009. The first opened in April at 1548 Montclair Road in Irondale and is also owned by Weilbaecher and Silva. Overall, the new location makes 10 for Jefferson County and 51 for the state. 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.

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