Kristen Stevens/Daily Times Leader
It did not take long for the Carlisle Corp. to demolish three storefronts and a connected restaurant/nightclub on Highway 45 Alt. to make way for a new Wendy's. The current Wendy's can be seen in the background.

New Wendy's to open in October

By Kristen Stevens
Daily Times Leader

The corner of Highway 45 Alt. and Plaza Drive, the highway entrance to Kroger, will be home to a new Wendy's that will open during October, according to Kevin Coll, Marketing Communications Director with franchise owner, Carlisle Corporation of Memphis, Tenn.
With demolition of the property's previous buildings complete, another Highway 45 Alt. eyesore has bitten the dust. Additionally, Plaza Drive, a street that was privately owned and routinely full of pot holes, has now been conveyed to the city and will be maintained by the city, as part of the negotiations that brought the Wendy's deal to a close earlier this year.
The new property, what Wendy's calls a replacement, will be 3,400 square feet, approximately 20 percent larger than the existing restaurant, and the company's new “Fresh E2000” design, complete with free wireless internet, flat screen televisions in the dining room, and a redesigned, modern, state-of-the-art kitchen. A similar replacement in Starkville has been well received by its customers and proven very successful for the franchise owner.
The new restaurant and its landscaping will beautify the once verdantly barren corner. “Landscaping is very important to our stores. It's a priority. It's the first thing our customers see,” said Coll.
He said Carlisle Corp. typically spends between $45,000 to $50,000 landscaping a new restaurant. Included in the landscaping plan is a screen to block the view of the vacant buildings behind it.
The current Wendy's, located across Plaza Drive, “Has been a very successful location since 1986, but we had the opportunity for a stronger, better location and the opportunity to renovate,” said Coll.
Carlisle Corp. has committed to maintaining the landscaping of the existing Wendy's until the property sells.
As a replacement property, the current restaurant's employees will carry over to the new restaurant, so no new hires are planned.
Carlisle Corp. is a specialty hospitality company that focuses on leading franchises and real estate development. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Wendelta, Inc., is a leading Wendy’s franchise operator with more than 95 restaurants in Louis., Ark., Miss., and N.C.,  and with revenues that consistently rank it in the top tier of the Wendy’s system.