Newk’s Eatery, a fresh casual restaurant concept known among its loyal following for its culinary-inspired menu with an emphasis on freshness and flavor, will officially open its first location in Gambrills, M.D. in The Village at Waugh Chapel on Monday, Dec. 16.
The fresh casual, upscale Newk’s Eatery offers a variety of quality, craveable menu options from the franchise’s open-view kitchens, including fresh-tossed salads, oven-baked sandwiches, California-style pizzas, made-from-scratch soups and homemade cakes. The culinary-driven dining concept features exceptional ingredient combinations like salads with chicken, cranberries, pecans, artichoke hearts and gorgonzola cheese on a bed of spring greens, for mouth-watering distinct flavors.
Newk’s offers a separate catering menu and original products that keep customers coming back. Newk’s Roundtable Club members receive special offers to reward them for repeat visits. The club is named after the table featured in the center of every location that offers various complimentary spices, toppings and add-ons, allowing diners to customize their menu items. Another original Newk’s concept is Grab-n-Go, which gives busy guests the option to drop in and quickly pick out a favorite menu item from the select offerings in the open, stand-up refrigerator case at the front of the restaurant.
Behind the Waugh Chapel store is franchise company SWR Concepts, Inc. The company is led by married couples, Lisa Weekley and Lewis Rainone Jr., and Thomas Saia Jr. and Donna Saia, an entrepreneurial team founded in September 2010 to expand the Newk’s Eatery brand in Maryland. Two of the owners of SWR Concepts, Tom and Lewis have worked together for five years operating eight fast food franchises for KBJN, Inc. The men and their spouses, who together have more than 100 years of experience in the restaurant industry, regularly discussed going into business with one another and knew that with each of their skill sets, they could successfully open and operate a multi-store franchise business.
In 2012, Donna was vacationing in Charlotte, N.C. when she met a friend for lunch at Newk’s. She was so excited by the food and the experience that she called Tom during lunch to report that she’d found the restaurant opportunity for which they’d been looking. Soon thereafter, the four traveled back to Charlotte, the northernmost Newk’s in the eastern states, and quickly agreed to pursue a future as Newk’s “fresh casual” dining franchisees.
The Village at Waugh Chapel restaurant is SWR Concept’s first Newk’s location, though the team has plans to build three more Newk’s Eateries in the Anne Arundel County area over the next five years.
“Newk’s in The Village at Waugh Chapel is a gathering place for friends and families,” said co-owner Lisa Weekley. “We look forward to shared meals and shared memories made around our tables.”
As part of the grand opening, the Gambrills restaurant will host a fundraiser in which a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a non-profit supporting research for childhood brain cancer.
To view the menu or learn more about Newk’s Eatery, visit newks.com or the Waugh Chapel store’s Facebook page.
For Newk’s Eatery franchise information, please visit:
http://www.newks.com/franchise/.
As a refreshing casual dining experience in a stylish atmosphere with an emphasis on freshness, flavor and unparalleled customer service, Newk’s Eatery boasts a comprehensive menu of freshly-prepared entrees with sizable portions and exceptional ingredient combinations. Rapidly expanding since the first restaurant opening in Oxford, Miss. in 2004, Newk’s currently operates and franchises 65 units in 13 states. Headquartered in Jackson, Miss., the rights to more than 100 units of the culinary-driven dining concept have been sold across the South. From the restaurants’ open-view kitchens, customers dining in can watch the preparation of fresh-tossed salads, oven-baked sandwiches, California-style pizzas, made-from-scratch soups and homemade cakes and then customize their meals at the signature Roundtable. Conveniently, Newk’s also offers catering and daily-prepared menu options in the Grab-N-Go refrigerated case at the front of each store. For more information visit www.newks.com, join the Roundtable Club for email updates or follow the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
