Wendy's Cashes in on Former Wells Fargo, Returning to Lawrenceville

A local Wendy's franchisee is planning to open a new location in Lawrenceville next year.  Carl Hoover, owner of Hoover Foods, plans to open a new Wendy's at the corner of Duluth Highway and Professional Drive, close to Gwinnett Medical Center and just off GA316.   The new Wendy's will open in place of a former Wells Fargo bank.  The bank closed within the past year and has sat empty in the months since.  

Hoover tells ToNeTo Atlanta that he plans to renovate the existing 3,748 square foot building to suit the needs of the burger eatery and showcase Wendy's latest "image activation" design.  The building, built in 1986, operated as Wachovia prior to the bank's 2008 acquisition by Wells Fargo.  

Work on renovating the restaurant is expected to begin soon with a planned opening during spring 2018.  Hoover Foods operates about 60 Wendy's restaurants including about 50 in Georgia. Overall, Dublin, Ohio-based The Wendy's Company is the world's third-largest quick-service hamburger company with approximately 6,500 locations worldwide.  

The new Lawrenceville Wendy's will be located at 690 Duluth Highway.  A former Wendy's operated at 676 Duluth Highway, but closed over a year ago and is today home to Golden Krust, a Caribbean restaurant based in New York. 

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Meritage Hospitality Group, which shuttered the 676 Duluth Highway location, still operates about 40 Wendy's in Georgia.  As ToNeTo Atlanta previously reported, Meritage recently reopened a Wendy's restaurant on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna, is actively rebuilding a restaurant on Windy Hill Road in Smyrna, and has plans to relocate another Wendy's on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth.  

Between the former and upcoming Wendy's restaurants sits an 80s-era Chick-fil-A, which like locations on Druid Hills, Roswell Road and Windy Hill Road, could be destined for a "scrape & rebuild" in the near future. 

Are you excited for the return of Wendy's to Lawrenceville?  What is your favorite quick serve burger restaurant?  Where should Wendy's open next?

Please share your thoughts below.