JAE Restaurant Group Acquires 34 Knoxville Wendy’s Restaurants

by Katie Lee

Pompano Beach, Fla. — JAE Restaurant Group, one of the largest multi-unit franchisees of Wendy’s, has acquired 34 Wendy’s restaurants throughout Knoxville, Tenn., making JAE Restaurant Group a major employer in Knoxville with a total of 1,150 employees.

To date, JAE owns Wendy’s restaurants in Florida, Albuquerque and El Paso, Texas, totaling 212 units, with two locations currently under construction. JAE Restaurant Group plans to remodel four Wendy’s in Knoxville this year to include updated features such as fireplaces, a variety of inviting seating options, Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and digital menu boards. The company has an overall goal to eventually remodel all Knoxville Wendy’s and open another 10 to 12 locations in the market over the next 4 years.

“We strive to remain leaders in the nation’s evolving quick-service restaurant industry by delivering an exceptional experience of quality, service and cleanliness to our customers through high quality food, friendly staff, high operational standards, and being engaged in our communities,” says Eddie Rodriguez, chairman of JAE Restaurant Group. “JAE looks forward to expanding Wendy’s presence and positively impacting communities throughout Knoxville and across the country.”

The Knoxville market locations were sold to JAE as part of Wendy’s System Optimization Initiative to sell hundreds of restaurants to franchisees. The shifting from company-owned to franchise transactions and franchise to franchise is part of Wendy’s brand transformation strategy, along with its Image Activation program to remodel existing stores.

JAE Restaurant Group and Wendy’s have a longstanding history, dating back to when JAE opened its first Wendy’s restaurant in Hialeah, Fla., in 1993.

Based in Pompano Beach, Fla., JAE Restaurant Group, LLC is a multi-unit franchisee of Wendy’s restaurants, with a total of 212 locations throughout Florida, Texas, New Mexico and Tennessee, and owned by Andres Garcia, Eddie Rodriguez and Jhonny Mercado. For more information, visit http://www.jaerestaurantgroup.com/.

The Wendy’s Company is the world’s third largest quick-service hamburger restaurant chain. The Wendy’s system includes more than 6,500 restaurants in 29 countries and U.S. territories. For more information, visit www.wendys.com.

SOURCE: JAE Restaurant Group

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