Fazoli’s – known for serving premium Italian dishes at a value price – recently began construction on its first Statesboro restaurant at 244 Henry Blvd. – the site of the old Steak ‘n Shake restaurant in the Statesboro Crossing shopping center.
A press release from the Lexington, Ky.-based chain said: “Fazoli’s will introduce its delectable, made-to-order Italian recipes and famous complimentary breadsticks to everyone in Statesboro when the new restaurant opens in late January.”
The Steak ‘n Shake restaurant closed in December 2019, amid a dispute with employees, who said they had not been paid for several weeks. Jeffrey Milliken, owner of Nekillem Food Services, was the owner of the former Steak ‘n Shake. Milliken will be the franchise owner of the Fazoli’s restaurant.
Milliken told the Statesboro Herald in December 2019 that while he was the owner of the Steak ‘n Shake, he leased the management of the restaurant to a third party and was unaware of any financial issues until after the restaurant closed.
In the same interview, Milliken told the Herald the plan had been to close the Steak ‘n Shake in January 2020 and transition into a Fazoli’s later in 2020.
Milliken said he is looking forward to Fazoli’s opening in Statesboro.
“I’m thrilled to bring Fazoli’s premium, craveable Italian dishes to the Statesboro community,” Milliken said. “This is my second location to open this year, so I am really looking forward to expanding my role within the Fazoli’s Franchise Family. Our new location was previously a different quick-service restaurant, so we were able to capitalize on the unbeatable conversion opportunity.”
According to the press release, Fazoli’s plans to hire up to 65 individuals in the next few weeks for front and back of restaurant positions to join its team. Go to https://www.fazolis.jobs/ for information about job opportunities.
The new 3,200-sqaure-foot restaurant will be the sixth Fazoli’s in Georgia and 213 system-wide.
“At Fazoli’s, the safety and well-being of its guests and team members is and always will be a top priority,” the release said. “Recently, Fazoli’s restaurants have taken even greater measures to ensure the safety of its guests and team members.
The restaurant chain was founded in 1988 in Lexington, Ky., and operates in 28 states, making it the largest premium quick-serve Italian chain in America.