Client News

Want to go and grab a burger?

If you live in Sumter, there’s certainly plenty of fast-food restaurants to choose from and possibly two more on the horizon.

A new Checkers Drive-In restaurant is set to open in the area in late May, according to Drew Pye, director of operations for Checkers’ franchises in South Carolina and Georgia.

A city building permit from the Sumter City-County Planning Commission also shows North Carolina-based Cook Out restaurant, which consists of a double drive-thru window, is in the works to be built in the future as well. Efforts to reach Cook Out officials about its plans were unsuccessful.

Pye said the target date for the Sumter Checkers is May 23 but is hoping the place can open sooner.

Tampa, Fla.-based Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc. is the largest double drive-thru restaurant chain in the United States and has more than 800 restaurants across the country.

The new Sumter Checkers will have the same makeup of many of the other various Checkers in other locations consisting of a double drive-thru with a walk-up window, as well as outdoor seating for guests.

“I think the double drive-thru windows help make us more money because we’re able to move transactions faster, and it’s good for customers,” Pye said. “Our busiest time is during lunch hours, and people want to be in and out so they don’t have to rush and eat.”

Pye said Checkers is known for its tasty burgers, famous seasoned fries and creamy shakes.

Pye’s dad, Andy, is the franchise owner of the Checkers in South Carolina and Georgia. The Sumter location will be the fifth Checkers restaurant opened by the Pye family in South Carolina and 10th overall in South Carolina and Georgia.

Pye, 33, said the new Sumter Checkers should be a sound investment.

“We had been looking at the Sumter market for a while, and we knew the Third Army was coming, which is going to help the Sumter economy,” he said. “But we also believed this was the perfect size city and we’ve done well in other locations that’s similar in size. We also feel like we’re in a pretty good location because it’s visible and there is a lot of traffic going that way.”

The Sumter Checkers will have a total of 40 to 45 hourly employees with four staff managers, said Pye. He added that hiring will start in the near future.

Residents such as Edith Frye said she is looking forward to the new Checkers coming to town. Frye was eating lunch Thursday that she purchased from the Central Park restaurant with her husband, SamBo, of 49 years. Central Park is also a double-drive thru burger joint, similar to Checkers.

“I love the food right here at Central Park, but Checkers is right up there and they’re going to be good competition for all the burger joints in town,” she said. “I like the flavor of their burgers, and their prices are good for the amount of food you get.”

Fast-food companies, looking for a way to attract budget-conscious customers and keep them spending, are increasingly offering more food for less money, according to Clarence Davis, general manager of Central Park restaurant.

“There are a lot of people that have lost their jobs, and we try to keep the prices of our combos as affordable as possible,” Davis said.

The Fryes said they paid a reasonable price of about $11 for two bacon double cheeseburgers, two large fries, one small and one large drink at Central Park.

Pye indicated that the fast-food industry went through a rough patch during the downturn of the economy, but things are turning around.

The fast-food competition will be heavy with Checkers coming in a couple of months, Cook Out in the future and the well-known establishments such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Sonic and Five Guys already in the area, not to mention the local mom and pops that are known for serving up a good burger.

“We compete all the time with the big boys, but we believe we serve the best burgers,” Pye said. “As long as we continue to serve good and delicious food, we believe people are going to continue to come back and pick up food here. But we want everyone in the fast-food industry to do well because we believe that’s beneficial to all of us in the fast-food business.”