Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries is a fast casual restaurant chain that operates primarily in the state of North Carolina and other neighboring states on the east coast of the United States.[4] Founded by Kenney Moore as Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers,[4] the first location opened in Goldsboro, North Carolina, in 1991.[1] In 2012, seeking to expand beyond North Carolina, the company changed their name to Hwy 55 and opened their first out-of-state restaurant in May of that year. As of February, 2022, the chain has a total of 108 locations in the United States, primarily in North Carolina (81) and South Carolina (12), with 15 other locations in the states of Florida, Georgia, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.[2] The restaurant serves hamburgers, cheesesteaks, sandwiches, salads, hand-dipped ice cream and milkshakes.

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries
TypePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
GenreFast casual restaurant
Founded
  • Andy's Cheesesteaks & Cheeseburgers:
    1991 (1991)
    Goldsboro, North Carolina
  • Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries:
    February 2012 (2012-02)
[1]
FounderKenney Moore
Headquarters102 Commercial Ave
Mount Olive, North Carolina, United States
Number of locations
108 [2] (2022)
Area served
United States[2]
Key people
  • Kenney Moore (CEO)
  • Neal Dennis (COO)
[1]
Products
[3]
Websitewww.hwy55.com

History and operations
A former Hwy 55 in Raleigh, North Carolina's Crabtree Valley Mall, since closed.
Former logo, still seen at multiple locations

Kenney Moore began the business in 1991 by opening a now-defunct restaurant in Goldsboro, North Carolina's Berkeley Mall.[5] He asked the owners of his equipment to in-house finance his operation as he only had $500 to his name.[5] Moore quickly acquired three more closed restaurants and found himself $30,000 in debt to his foodservice distributor.[5] After adapting Robert K. Greenleaf's philosophy of servant leadership, his fortunes turned.[6] Moore switched to a franchisee style of ownership and Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers expanded throughout Eastern North Carolina.[7]

In February 2012, Andy's announced that it had changed its name to Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries, as a means to avoid potential lawsuits with other similarly named restaurants, once it decided to expand outside of North Carolina. The name is a homage to North Carolina Highway 55, and many of the locations in the state were painted with a mural map showing the route of the highway.[8] The company's decor, always influenced by 1950s-era diners, also took on a pink-and-teal color scheme.[9][10] In May, the company opened a franchised store in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the first location outside the state of North Carolina.[11] The first international locations followed in 2014 with openings in Abu Dhabi.[12] The Abu Dhabi location later closed.

In 2013, Hwy 55 was named a top-40 food franchise by the Franchise Business Review.[13]

By February 2022, the chain had 108 locations in nine U.S. states, including North Carolina (81), South Carolina (12), Tennessee (6), Georgia (2), Texas (2), Montana (1), Ohio (1), Virginia (1) and West Virginia (1). [2]

Restaurants

A Hwy 55 restaurant usually has a 1950s theme, with pink-and-teal color accents and '50s decor mounted on the walls.[14] Kitchens are open, whereby customers can watch cooks grill their food.[15][16]

Charity

In 2006, Kenney Moore created the Andy's Charitable Foundation, Inc. as a 501(C)3 corporation with the "mission to serve the common good of all people in our hometowns." Now known as the Hwy 55 Foundation, as of 2021, it had raised over $1,900,000 for local charities, including the Miracle League of the Triangle, of which it is a major sponsor. A Miracle League field in Cary, North Carolina is named after the foundation.[17][18]

References
  1. "History". Hwy 55. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  2. "Locations". Hwy 55. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  3. "Menu". Hwy 55. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  4. Joyce, Tom (March 2, 2017). "New restaurant to employ 50". Mt. Airy News. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  5. "Kenny Moore, Andy's Burgers, Shakes and Fries". North Carolina People. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  6. "New Management Style That Can Turn Your Business Around". Fox Business. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  7. Baltazar, Amanda (25 July 2011). "Management Style Turnaround Leads To Growing Company". Full Service Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  8. "N.C. Burger Chain Andy's Revamps With New Name". QSR Magazine. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  9. Hanrahan, Kathy (5 March 2012). "Andy's Burgers changes name to Highway 55". WRAL. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  10. Brandau, Mark (8 March 2012). "Andy's rebrands as Highway 55". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  11. Billingsley, Becky (21 May 2014). "Hwy 55 Shifts Into Gear Today". Myrtle Beach Restaurant News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  12. "Local burger chain expands to Middle East". WRAL. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  13. Today's Top 40 Food Franchises. "Franchise Business Review," Fall(2013), pp. 8-9.
  14. Ranaivo, Yann (2015-10-29). "1950s-themed Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries to open in Blacksburg". Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  15. "Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries to Expand South Florida Presence With Palm City Opening on December 12". RestaurantNews.com. 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  16. "Andy's Burgers now known as Hwy 55". JDNews. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  17. "Andy's Foundation". Hwy 55. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  18. "Miracle League of the Triangle". Miracle League of the Triangle. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
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