Fast-food chain, behind $20M investment, plans restaurant of the future

The pandemic took a big bite out of many restaurants, from chef-driven, fine dining establishments to McDonald’s. But Checkers & Rally’s, the Tampa-based, drive-thru burger chain recorded high same store sales gains in 2020, opened 36 new restaurants and amended its debt.

Its success while others struggle amid the pandemic — profits at McDonald’s, for example, were down 25% in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 over 2019, and sales fell 13% — has put Checkers, with more than 800 locations, in a unique spot: aggressively chasing market share and sales growth. It’s doing that several ways, from a “restaurant of the future” redesign to a new mobile app for online orders and enhanced delivery options. The attack is being fueled by $20 million in capital from the chain’s ownership, New York-based private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, which acquired the burger chain for $525 million in March 2017.  The injection of capital will be used to fund Checkers & Rally’s aggressive five-year growth plan.