A 50s-style All-American family diner experience will open in Wylie in late 2022. Called Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries, the quick service restaurant will be located at 2014 N Hwy 78.
A recent project filing shows that the restaurant will be a new construction with work expected to start in February 2022 and be completed by September.
Founded in Goldsboro, North Carolina in 1991, there are currently two Hwy 55s in the DFW area – one in Bedford and the other in Ennis. The retro-themed diner chain, however, has had plans to expand in the Lone Star State for quite some time. In 2016, the brand signed a master franchise agreement to bring more than 300 locations to Texas in the next 10 years. Granted, not much has happened since that signing, but perhaps things are back on track now.
The agreement was signed with Chris LaCoe and J.R. Cottle, both of whom have a long history with the brand. The two started at Hwy 55 while in high school, grew into managerial roles, and eventually became store owners. As part of the agreement, they are responsible for developing a total of 350 stores in Texas, as well as South Carolina.
“Chris and J.R. are one of nearly 50 current franchise owners who started as hourly-waged employees. It shows that hard work, dedication and commitment can lead to amazing success,” Hwy 55 president and founder Kenney Moore said at the time.
Hwy 55 features fresh, never-frozen hand-pattied burgers, premium sliced cheesesteaks, made-to-order salads, house-made frozen custard, and other classic favorites in a unique open-kitchen setting. Popular in its home state of North Carolina, the brand has won BurgerBusiness.com’s “Best Burger”, and has been named a top 500 franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine and a “Next 20” restaurant brand by Nation’s Restaurant News.
HWY 55 currently has over 100 locations across 13 U.S. states, as well as overseas locations in Denmark and the United Arab Emirates.
