Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries is a fast casual restaurant chain that operates primarily on the East Coast of the United States.[4] Formerly known as Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers,[4] the first location opened in Goldsboro, North Carolina, in 1991.[1] It now has 135 restaurants in the United States.[5]

Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes & Fries
TypePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
GenreFast casual restaurant
FoundedGoldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. (1991 (1991))[1]
Headquarters
Mount Olive, North Carolina
,
U.S.
Number of locations
135 (2017)[2]
Area served
United States[2]
Key people
Kenney Moore, CEO and Founder
Neal Dennis, COO[1]
ProductsHamburgers, Frozen custard, French fries, Cheesesteaks[3]
Websitewww.hwy55.com

History and operations
A Hwy 55 in Raleigh, North Carolina's Crabtree Valley Mall

Kenney Moore began the business in 1991 by opening a now-defunct restaurant in Goldsboro, North Carolina's Berkeley Mall.[6] He asked the owners of his equipment to in-house finance his operation as he only had $500 to his name.[6] Moore quickly acquired three more closed restaurants and found himself $30,000 in debt to his foodservice distributor.[6] After adapting Robert K. Greenleaf's philosophy of servant leadership, his fortunes turned.[7] Moore switched to a franchisee style of ownership and Andy's Cheesesteaks and Cheeseburgers expanded throughout Eastern North Carolina.[8]

In February 2012, Andy's announced that it had changed its name to Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries, an homage to North Carolina Highway 55, which runs across the state. 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. In 2012, Moore said that he hopes to open 500 restaurants globally in the next seven years.[12]

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

Restaurants

A Hwy 55 restaurant usually has a 1950s theme, with pink-and-teal color accents and '50s decor mounted on the walls.[5] Kitchens are open, whereby customers can watch cooks grill their food.[14][15]

Charity

In 2006, Hwy 55 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." To date, it has raised over $1,400,000 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.[16][17]

References
  1. "History". Hwy 55. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  2. "Locations". Hwy 55. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  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. Ranaivo, Yann (2015-10-29). "1950s-themed Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes & Fries to open in Blacksburg". Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  6. "Kenny Moore, Andy's Burgers, Shakes and Fries". North Carolina People. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  7. "New Management Style That Can Turn Your Business Around". Fox Business. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  8. Baltazar, Amanda (25 July 2011). "Management Style Turnaround Leads To Growing Company". Full Service Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  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. "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.
  15. "Andy's Burgers now known as Hwy 55". JDNews. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  16. "Andy's Foundation". Hwy 55. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  17. "Miracle League of the Triangle". Miracle League of the Triangle. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
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