Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries
Private
Industry Restaurants
Genre Fast casual restaurant
Founded Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. (1991)[1]
Headquarters Mount Olive, North Carolina, U.S.
Number of locations
 135 (2017)[2]
Area served
 United States, Denmark and the United Arab Emirates[2]
Key people
 Kenney Moore, CEO and Founder
Neal Dennis, COO[1]
Products Hamburgers, Frozen custard, French fries, Cheesesteaks[3]
Website www.hwy55.com

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries is a fast casual restaurant chain that operates primarily on the East Coast of the United States.[4] Formerly known as Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers,[4] the first location opened in Goldsboro, North Carolina, in 1991.[1] It now has 135 restaurants in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Denmark.[5]

History and operations

A Hwy 55 in Raleigh, North Carolina's Crabtree Valley Mall

Kenney Moore began the business in 1991 by opening a now-defunct restaurant in Goldsboro, North Carolina's Berkeley Mall.[6] He asked the owners of his equipment to in-house finance his operation as he only had $500 to his name.[6] Moore quickly acquired three more closed restaurants and found himself $30,000 in debt to his foodservice distributor.[6] After adapting Robert K. Greenleaf's philosophy of servant leadership, his fortunes turned.[7] Moore switched to a franchisee style of ownership and Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers expanded throughout Eastern North Carolina.[8]

In February 2012, Andy's announced that it had changed its name to Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries, an homage to North Carolina Highway 55, which runs across the state. The company's decor, always influenced by 1950s-era diners, also took on a pink-and-teal color scheme.[9][10] In May, the company opened a franchised store in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the first location outside the state of North Carolina.[11] The first international locations followed in 2014 with openings in Abu Dhabi. In 2012, Moore said that he hopes to open 500 restaurants globally in the next seven years.[12]

In 2013, Hwy 55 was named a top-40 food franchise by the Franchise Business Review.[13] Also in 2013, Hwy 55 began its Canadian operations in Oakville, Ontario. That location has since been closed and now operates independently as Gazebo Burger.

Restaurants

A Hwy 55 restaurant usually has a 1950s theme, with pink-and-teal color accents and '50s decor mounted on the walls.[5] Kitchens are open, whereby customers can watch cooks grill their food.[14][15]

Charity

In 2006, Hwy 55 created the Andy's Charitable Foundation, Inc. as a 501(C)3 corporation with the "mission to serve the common good of all people in our hometowns." To date, it has raised over $1,400,000 for local charities, including the Miracle League of the Triangle, of which it is a major sponsor. A Miracle League field in Cary, North Carolina is named after the foundation.[16][17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "History". Hwy 55. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Locations". Hwy 55. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Menu". Hwy 55. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  4. 1 2 Joyce, Tom (March 2, 2017). "New restaurant to employ 50". Mt. Airy News. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Ranaivo, Yann (2015-10-29). "1950s-themed Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries to open in Blacksburg". Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  6. 1 2 3 "Kenny Moore, Andy's Burgers, Shakes and Fries". "North Carolina People". 21 October 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "New Management Style That Can Turn Your Business Around". Fox Business. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  8. ↑ Baltazar, Amanda (25 July 2011). "Management Style Turnaround Leads To Growing Company". Full Service Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  9. ↑ Hanrahan, Kathy (5 March 2012). "Andy's Burgers changes name to Highway 55". WRAL. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Brandau, Mark (8 March 2012). "Andy's rebrands as Highway 55". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Billingsley, Becky (21 May 2014). "Hwy 55 Shifts Into Gear Today". Myrtle Beach Restaurant News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "Local burger chain expands to Middle East". WRAL. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Today's Top 40 Food Franchises. "Franchise Business Review," Fall(2013), pp. 8-9.
  14. ↑ "Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries to Expand South Florida Presence With Palm City Opening on December 12". RestaurantNews.com. 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  15. ↑ "Andy's Burgers now known as Hwy 55". JDNews. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Andy's Foundation". Hwy 55. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  17. ↑ "Miracle League of the Triangle". Miracle League of the Triangle. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
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