One of Newk’s Eatery’s most successful franchisee teams is bringing the franchise into downtown Pensacola, Florida, with the city’s second Newk’s restaurant. The Newk’s franchisee team, consisting of managing partners and seasoned restaurateurs Kevin Fitzpatrick, Roman Mayer, and Craig Reeder, is jump-starting the site of the former Wintzell’s Oyster House and Copeland’s New Orleans Restaurant & Bar with the grand opening of Newk’s brand new downtown location on May 18 at 10:30 a.m. The rejuvenated property sitting directly off Interstate 110 will be serving up the fast-casual brand’s signature culinary-driven menu for both Pensacola locals and Gulf Coast travelers. The franchisees behind the downtown restaurant also own Newk’s Cordova Mall location, which opened in Pensacola this past November.
“Newk’s fresh, vibrant flavor profile fits hand-in-hand with coastal living,” says Pensacola native and Newk’s franchise group COO Kevin Fitzpatrick. “Our management and partners have a taste for what local diners crave and have done an outstanding job building a customer-centered culture in each of our restaurants. We are excited to make the Newk’s experience even more convenient for Pensacola guests with our second downtown location.”
By the end of 2017, the franchisee group expects to have a total of eight Newk’s restaurants operating on the Gulf Coast. With three locations currently open in D’Iberville, Gulfport, and Hattiesburg along Mississippi’s coast, the trio has plans to open three more Newk’s Eateries following the Gulf shores of both Alabama and Florida in addition to the existing two Pensacola locations.
“We were attracted to the Newk’s brand in the wake of the Gulf Coast’s large-scale rebuilding phase following Hurricane Katrina,” says Newk’s franchisee Roman Mayer. “We love the dining experience Newk’s offers with its exceptional hospitality and the freshness of its menu, and we knew Newk’s special brand of dining would resonate with the people of the coast.”
Newk’s downtown restaurant will be located at 400 East Chase Street and will offer seating in its approximately 4,500 square-foot space for 152 guests, along with outside patio seating for 20 more. The restaurant will provide job opportunities for around 80 applicants in the area.
The Jackson, Mississippi-based Newk’s Eatery currently has nearly 80 locations in 13 states and plans to expand to more than 200 units by the end of 2018. Newk’s is featured onTechnomic’s list of top 50 fast-casual chains nationwide.
