Not only that, but the founders also wanted to create a space that was fun and inviting for people to come enjoy the delicious food, unlike the majority of the diners and other restaurants that they frequented. In addition to chicken fingers, Zaxby's serves wings, sandwiches and salads. The company has grown throughout the Southeast in the years sincesystem sales have grown an average of 8.4% the past five years, according to data from Restaurant Business sister company Technomic. Absolutely devastating. If you live on the West Coast, you are going to be out of luck unfortunately (the closest state out West to try out a Zaxbys is in Utah). I remember having a conversation with Tony saying, I think we made a mistake. They decided to provide the freshest chicken fingers and Buffalo wings in town. But I was all in. Over the years, the Athens, Ga.-based brand has grown to more than 900 . Tonys mother-in-law was best friends with the president of the Bullock County Bank. Blake turned into 2 for the Head of Chief for his imaginative and prescient, creativity, or honest feel of life. "Our brand is experiencing its best unit-level performance in many years, and. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ill be your partner. He knew of a location in Statesboro (near the Georgia Southern campus). Included are ten colleges from the Southeastern Conference, six colleges from the Atlantic Coast Conference, three colleges from Conference USA, two each from the Big Ten Conference and Sun Belt Conference, and one college from the Big 12 Conference. His father's company often sponsored John's cars. Before Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley founded Zaxby's, they were childhood friends. However he does like to take on other topics involving some of his personal interests like automobiles, future technologies, and anything else that could change the world. At the end of 10 years we had 20 company stores and 80 franchise stores. Acoca's experience leading some of the nation's top restaurant concepts will be instrumental in driving the company's growth, while McLeroy's continued involvement will ensure the culture and founder-led history of Zaxby's continue as a guiding principle. Why should people always go to the office every day? Some people are still wondering. About ten of the colleges can be found in the Southeastern region of the States, which is also where the majority of Zaxbys locations are established (as we mentioned previously). Some of the celebs that made it into the commercial ads include Alyson Stoner, Mike Ditka, Paul Sorvino, Giuliana Rancic, Ryan Stiles, Little Richard, Chris Kattan, Lee Ann Womack, Jaime Pressly, Clay Matthews, Wayne Brady, and so many more. In the early days we did door hangers, guerrilla marketing, a lot of specials. Every day you have to re-win that customer, every single day they come into our stores. They slid this manual across the table that was probably four or five inches thick and said you need to sit here and answer all these questions: Everything that you know, that you do, that you think, is how you create the manual to become a franchise corporation. [13][14], In late 2007, the chain began running a series of commercials featuring celebrities eating Zaxby's menu items. I had raised $8,000, and Tony had matched it with $8,000. McLeroy had second thoughts about the shift. Everybody would tell us good luck, but you are not going to make it. The restaurant chain sponsored a couple of race car drivers, including John Wes Townley (Co-founder Tony Townley's son) during his time with NASCAR. Their 30th year will be in operation, and they hope to have more than 1,000 emergencies during this period. Zaxbys has also made an appearance in a video game at one point, which is definitely a sign that you are a restaurant chain to be reckoned with. Co-founders Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley opened the first Zaxby's in Statesboro in 1991. Over the last three and half years, Acoca led the brand through a transformation in which digital e-commerce rapidly accelerated, drive-thru and back of the house were streamlined, and the chain doubled-down on its L.A.-Mex brand positioning with a new contemporary restaurant design in preparation for aggressive franchise expansion domestically. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'howigotjob_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_1',193,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-howigotjob_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Arrived in August 2000 thru Smithfield Franchise Business LLC at Zaxbys Franchise Business LLC. Our land payment was $400 a month. When Oconee County High School graduates Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley sank their savings into a joint business venture three decades ago, little did they know they had planted a seed that would grow into one of the nation's largest quick-serve restaurant chains. They have their first business for around $ 29,000 with the work they spent but started money from credit cards. Laura Townley, 30, was struck by gunfire and wounded after the man she was with at the time, 32-year-old Zachary Anderson, allegedly opened fire on John Wes Townley, who was said to be brandishing an ax. The first Zaxby's, which originally was called ZAX, opened in 1990 in Statesboro, Georgia. I wholeheartedly believe Bernard is committed to growing our business while preserving the best of our heritage and culture. Tony Townley, in 1990. He saw value plummet in his personal real estate investments. Acoca wears a snazzy suit and tie in his official CEO photo. All the plumbing was exposed under it. Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. The Regulations grace period is over on the 25th is your company ready for GDPR? We were buying old, worn out locations that you could get a deal on. In 2013, they opened locations in Utah, the first expansion outside of the southeastern United States. A lot of it revolves around the partnership, and they have big plans for the brand, he said, referring to Goldman Sachs. You can be thankful for the ways Zach turned into an exchange of a set with pliers with another, like increasingly more Zaxby fanatics, etc., we won, etc. The first location was actually opened in Statesboro, Georgia by Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley (who were also childhood friends). If you have ever been into a Zaxbys, you will notice that the interior is quite eccentric. Some locations in college towns feature objects and decorations related to the local university. +1 270-846-0000 . 20 Cities with the Worst Weather in the U.S. How Eiza Gonzalez Achieved a Net Worth of $5 Million, How Bebe Rexha Achieved a Net Worth of $10 Million, The 20 Worst Cities for Human Trafficking in the World. Then came the idea of a chicken concept to me. They were afraid to take a risk on a new brand. Zaxby's CEO responds to John Wes Townley incident. My partner and I knew each other since the fifth grade. Townley's car was sponsored by his father's fast-food chainZaxby's. Tony Townley was born on June 13, 1960 in Statesboro Georgia. Townley, 31, was shot in the chest just before 9pm on Saturday in the200 block of Morton Avenue in the Five Points area of Athens, Georgia, just days after his marriage to Laura Townley was formally dissolved. What started as a game of basketball between two friends quickly turned into the idea of having one of the best chicken based restaurants in all of Georgia. Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley each own stock in more than 100 locations, maintaining a strong vested interest in the chain's success. Im an optimistic idealist. Be Truthful. After graduating from Georgia Southern University in 1986, Townley opened Southern Mortgage and Lending in Athens. 706.389.7158. End of the first year I had made $50,000.Our first year sales were like $350,000. Once the restaurant chain had reached almost two decades in the industry, Zaxbys began releasing commercials that featured a great array of celebrities eating their food and sitting in local restaurants. [15], In October 2008, the video game Midnight Club: Los Angeles featured Zaxby's as a restaurant on the streets of Los Angeles. For his spouse and kids, he lives for the duration of the Athens, Georgia, region. As for Zaxbys, McLeroy said he and Tony often get offers to buy the business. They delivered it to me from Charlotte on a trailer, a Lexus Sport Coupe 400, a couple years old. Zaxbys has had literally quite little to no controversy in its three decade history (knock on wood). Laura Townley remainsin a 'serious' condition but is expected to survive. Zaxbys is a chain that has always been focused on the guest experience, whether it was toward the food, the atmosphere, or all the other details in between that make a meal out one of a kind, and this addition to their services is just proving their dedication further. U.S. system sales were $1.9 billion in 2019. He always treated me well, said hi and we checked in with each other once in a while when he left the sport. Manage Settings He has called himself the true chicken of the schools after sponsoring 26 universities with solid sports programs, including the University of Alabama and Duke, he assures him. He frequently loves to play golfing withinside the guides and the hills. Barnett added that the relationship between Laura Townley and Anderson was not clear, but he said it is known they were 'acquaintances.'. He is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Zaxby's. Zach graduated at the University of Georgia. For more information, visitzaxbys.comorzaxbysfranchising.com, Media ContactJacob TeetzmannTombras423.494.3673 jteetzmann@tombras.com, View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zaxbys-ceo-and-co-founder-zach-mcleroy-to-transition-to-chairman-bernard-acoca-appointed-as-new-chief-executive-officer-301408117.html, Plus500. [9], In 2022, Zaxby's introduced a new CEO, Bernard Acoca; he was the first CEO that was not one of the co-founders. McLeroys comments were edited for length and clarity. It began as a single location in Athens, Georgia, but has since grown to over 900 locations across 16 states, making it one of the fastest-growing fast-food chains in the United States. We got to the point we were putting so much of our capital into opening new stores there was no money left at the end of the year, so (a banker) would make us a loan to pay our taxes. Harold Townley instilled a strong work ethic into his son at an early age. [4][5] In December 2019, the Oklahoma-based Zaxby's franchisee announced it would be shuttering five of its nine locations across the state. Zaxby's CEO Zach McLeroy has had one business partner for the past 30 yearshis lifelong best friend, Tony Townley. In this series of articles, I started out by trying to clarify the ambiguity of The, Read More GDPR Part III: Technology Is Your FriendContinue, In 2014, a man named Sam Polk became known to the public by penning a couple of New York Times op-eds, which described his life as a successful Wall Street trader as well as some, Read More Sam Polk: The Wall Street Trader Who Quit Over a $3.6 Million BonusContinue, Thomas L. Williams holds two critical positions at Parker Hannifin, which specializes in motion and capture technologies for aerospace, climate control, and a wide range of other applications. In September 1994 weighed the primary eating places from Georgias doors in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Over the past 30 years, he has built the Zaxby's brand into more than just a quick-service chicken chain. Were $ 1.9 billion in 2019 his personal real estate investments and prescient, creativity, or feel! 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