Newk’s Eatery broke ground on Tuesday, July 15th with hopes to open its doors sometime in the fall, according to owner-operator Jay Minner. The restaurant is being built on Richmond Road, in front of Southland Christian Church, as part of the redevelopment of the former Lexington Mall property.
Some Lexingtonians may be familiar with Newk’s, which has grown from a small sandwich shop in Oxford, Mississippi to a chain of 68 restaurants in 13 states, including locations in Nashville and Atlanta. The fast-casual restaurant will soon serve Lexington from two locations: the 4,500 square foot Richmond Road building that is beginning construction now as well as a location inside of Fayette Mall, which was announced in March.
Newk’s offers California-style pizzas, hot speciality sandwiches and tossed salads as well as a combination of local wine and beer. They will also have options for catering as well as pre-prepared take-out meals that can be selected from a Grab-and-Go cooler for a fast, easy meal.
The founders of Newk’s Franchise Company, Don Newcomb, Debra Bryson and Chris Newcomb, were also the founders of McCalister’s Deli, a similar fast-casual restaurant with locations in Lexington. After selling the McCalister’s company, they began to focus solely on the Newk’s Eatery concept and it’s growth across the nation with the help of franchise operators like Jay Minner.
