Zaxby's Debuts First Franchise Restaurant Without Dining Room

Count Zaxby’s among the growing number of restaurant chains ready to expand a to-go-only prototype. The chain on Wednesday unveiled its first franchised-owned location without a dining room. Owned and operated by Chicken Scratch Holdings, Inc., the Hoover, Alabama, store opened June 5 for drive-thru, to-go, and pickup.

It’s a 2,000-square-foot venue, which is roughly two-thirds the size of a core-model Zaxby’s. There’s a walk-up window for guests to place to-go orders as well as an outdoor patio with four tables. It was built by Birmingham-based Vincent Construction, Inc.

Zaxby’s focused on drive-thru speed with a double-lane layout and new digital menuboards. There’s also a payment window and drive-thru delivery door to enables faster pay and pickup.

“We are very excited to bring this new to-go concept to Hoover and serve our delicious chicken fingers and wings to the community,” said Russell Pate, owner of Chicken Scratch Holdings, Inc., in a statement. “We have hired 50 new team members at this location and look forward to providing opportunities for growth within our organization.”

Zaxby's

The Hoover store is Zaxby's first franchise-run to-go-only store.

Chicken Scratch Holdings has operated Zaxby’s stores since 2004. Today, it directs four locations within Hoover city limits and 10 across Alabama.

Zaxby’s debuted the to-go-only model last year in Memphis, Tennessee. It opened another, in Clemson, South Carolina, in early 2023. But unlike the Hoover store, both were corporate run.

The Clemson restaurant was a remodel of a tradition build as well.

Here’s a look at how Zaxby’s performance has tracked in recent years:

Unit count