Zaxby’s welcomes new owners
Chris Andrews of Knoxville and his long-time business partner, Brandon Barrett of Athens, Georgia, purchased the Farragut franchise late last year — along with locations in Alcoa and Morristown— giving them 10 Zaxby’s locations in and around Knoxville.
Andrews, the local partner overseeing the day-to-day operations, wants the community to know he is extremely hands-on.
“The main thing is that we are under new ownership, under local ownership, and the district manager also lives here,” Andrews said. “It is truly a local organization. Our offices are even located off Parkside Drive.”
Andrews has lived in the Knoxville area since 2011, having moved from Athens, specifically to build the franchise.
He and Barrett built seven Zaxby’s in seven years before purchasing the additional three late last year.
Andrews said their No. 1 focus was “getting the dining room back open” at the Turkey Creek location after being closed more than a year due to COVID-19 concerns, a goal they were able to complete “in early November.
“The team here was already very solid, and had been with Zaxby’s a long time, and that made everything so easy, including our long-time general manager, Colby Seals and our assistant general manager Ashley Armitage,” he added.
“We met with the team, very early on, before the actual transition, to reassure them we wanted to continue in the direction we already had been heading.”
They also wanted to provide updated and upgraded equipment and resources “to provide everything our team members needed to continue doing a great job,” Andrews said, which included hiring additional staff and upgrading technology.
“The restaurant business has changed a lot,” he added. “Post-COVID, it’s a completely different animal.”
Even though customers are returning to in-person dining, “tablet ordering has really taken off,” he said, noting, “it is kind of like drive-through, but instead of through a speaker box, it is face-to-face.”
Moreover, “our drive through business has expanded even more,” Andrews added.
For more information, visit Zaxby’s at 11636 Parkside Drive, e-mail zaxbysturkeycreek@gmail.com or call 865-671-1222.
