Wayback Burgers, a fast casual featuring cooked-to-order burgers and thick, hand-dipped milkshakes, plans to continue expansion and innovation in the later part of 2021, and, with an increase in sales, the brand enjoyed a systemwide sales increase of 38.8% and a comparable store sales increase of 39.42%, according to a company press release.
Franchise expansion was seen through the awarding of 10 franchise agreements in the U.S. and one in Japan. Furthermore, the company oversaw seven lease signings, three restaurant openings in Fresno, California, Universal City, Texas and Groton, Connecticut, along with 11 remodels, with 12 in progress.
“There has never been a more exciting time to be part of the Wayback Burgers franchise,” Patrick Conlin, president of Wayback Burgers, said in the release. “We can’t thank our franchisees and guests enough for supporting Wayback Burgers this past year. Coming out of COVID-19 with such a strong first half set us up for sales to continue to soar in Q3 and Q4, and we look forward to the remainder of this year.”
With restaurant expansions, coupled with a national labor shortage, Wayback Burgers implemented creative initiatives to attract team members and hosted national hiring events in early June. The “Apply for Fries” campaign incentivized applicants who completed an interview with a free regular side of Wayback Burgers’ fries, according to the release.
Wayback Burgers also signed 13 existing franchisees to its “Let’s Get Growing” program, which aims to grow the franchise from within and upgrade restaurants in a timely manner. The program helps franchises expand to other locations with a reduced initial franchise fee of $10,000, which is then given back to the franchisee to remodel their existing locations.
New LTO menu items also helped increased sales. As a result of the overwhelming demand for Impossible menu items, Wayback Burgers made the Impossible Burger a permanent menu feature.
Founded in 1991 in Newark, Delaware, Wayback Burgers operates in 31 states with over 166 locations nationally and internationally in Brunei, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Pakistan, The Netherlands and Manitoba, Canada and Ireland. Wayback Burgers plans to open in 38 provinces/countries, including the Middle East, Northern Africa, South Africa, Bangladesh, Ireland, Japan, Germany and in Canada, Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.