PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality) is bringing its chicken to Long Island this summer, with plans to open the first New York restaurant in Farmingdale at 1004 Broadhollow Road.
PDQ in Farmingdale will offer the company’s chef-inspired bowls, seasonal premium sandwiches and unique sides, in addition to classics like PDQ’s chicken tenders, sandwiches, salads, and milkshakes.
Dean Poll and Thomas J. Fanning, Sr. will head up the local group in charge of PDQ’s entrance into the market. Poll, born and raised on Long Island, comes from a long line of famous restauranteurs, including his father, James Poll. Dean also owns the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park and the Gallagher’s Steakhouse on 52nd and Broadway.
The career for Fanning, Sr. began as proprietor of The Pig & Whistle restaurant on Long Island. He then pursued a career utilizing his management experience, becoming one of the top estate and strategic business planners for CIGNA’s I.F.D. division. Fanning, Sr. has leveraged his business expertise to become a venture capitalist and real estate investor in groups such as Gold Coast Bank, Vesta Rincon, LLC, ROAR, BFF Holdings and others.
“We are thrilled to partner with two veteran business leaders in Dean and Tom, and introduce our PDQ brand to New York,” said PDQ Co-Founder and Principal Owner Bob Basham. “Dean and Tom have a long history of proven results in people-oriented businesses, and their insight and expertise will be critical as we enter New York for the first time.”
The Farmingdale location will be operated by Ryan Basham, son of PDQ Co-Founder and Outback Steakhouse Co-Founder Bob Basham. Basham founded Outback with Tim Gannon, Chris Sullivan and Trudy Cooper in Tampa in March of 1988. Since that time, more than 1,500 restaurants have opened under the brand, including Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s, Roy’s, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Outback International.
Basham, along with PDQ CEO and Co-Founder Nick Reader, are the two principal owners of PDQ and the partners spent more than two years developing the concept behind the brand and the quality of the food and establishments. PDQ’s first New York restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, including dine-in, to-go and drive-thru options, as well as catering for any function.
On October 30, 2011, the original PDQ restaurant opened its doors in Tampa (FL) and the concept now has more than 60 locations throughout Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
