Checkers set for South Florida expansion

Thanks in part to a new franchisee, Checkers is on the verge of a major South Florida expansion.

Franchisee Corey Kipp plans to open 10 new Checkers drive-thrus over the next five years, Daily Business Review reported. That’s part of a larger expansion for the Tampa-based chain, which has a goal of creating up to 75 new locations in the region. Kipp started out by acquiring a shuttered Checkers site at 1209 North Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach and reopening it last fall.

“From a franchisee perspective this restaurant is a no-brainer,” Kipp told the Review. Checkers investors generally spend an average of $500,000, or $55 per square foot, on restaurant locations.

The chain is the nation’s largest of double drive-thru restaurants, operating more than 800 locations. Checkers currently has 40 in South Florida. [Daily Business Review] — Eric Kalis