Wayback Burgers Plans to Open Up to 30 New Locations in 2024
While some major fast food brands have struggled in 2024, the booming burger chain Wayback Burgers is going full steam ahead on growth. The company serves up loaded cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, milkshakes, and more - and it achieved a double-digit increase in same-store sales in Q1 even as sales dropped at giants like KFC and Starbucks, according to QSR Magazine.
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After opening 18 new restaurants over the last three years, Wayback plans to add another 25-30 locations across the United States by the end of 2024. Assuming no major construction or permit delays, the chain will finish the year significantly larger than it started, with well over its current 165 stores.
This expansion will bring Wayback to several markets it hasn't entered yet, including New York City, New Orleans , and Missouri. But the brand is also increasing their store count in states like California, Texas, Florida, Virginia, Massachusetts, Georgia, Oregon, Utah, New Jersey, and Indiana.
A big reason Wayback can scale so quickly? Existing franchisees are lining up to open even more restaurants after seeing success with their current locations.
"They're already in the system, making money, and want to grow and reinvest in the brand," said President Patrick Conlin. "We love outside growth too, but it's really exciting when our current franchisees keep expanding with us. We know their proven operating skills and they know us."
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Another catalyst for Wayback's success is an upgraded mobile app launched last year, which allows collecting rewards points on orders. The app has received thousands of new users and positive customer feedback in recent months.
The chain's performance marks a major turnaround from the 2020 shakeout. Coronavirus disruptions left Wayback operators unsure what to expect. But with online ordering, third-party delivery, and other digital assets already in place pre-pandemic, sales bounced back to flat by Memorial Day that year.
Since then, Wayback has been super successful, with Conlin saying the past 3-4 years were "great" for growing sales and new store openings. Even a rare freezing winter in Texas didn't slow Wayback down in early 2024 when it had another quarter of double-digit same-store sales increases. So while some big burger chains are struggling, this smaller chain is having a great time - driven by existing franchisees actively investing to open more and more new locations.