Cars wrapped around the two drive-through windows on a recent night, filling the small parking lot and backing up into the street. Las Vegas’ first Checkers Drive-In was drawing the sort of crowd for which its owners had hoped.
But the Dec. 18 opening of the burger joint is not just another local restaurant chain debut. After a two-year wait, the Tampa, Fla.-based Checkers finally opened its first store on the corner of Desert Inn Road and Boulder Highway. The two local franchisees had to scale back expansion plans and scrape together the money to build the initial location after bank financing dried up when housing went bust.
“It was all private money,” franchisee and Checkers Las Vegas President David Meldrum said. “But business has been a pleasant surprise so far.”
Coming up with that money was no small feat for Meldrum and his business partner Nick Nasrollahi. Each Checkers costs about $1 million to open, he said. Building the signature modular structure is a must, so franchisees typically can’t just move into a vacated space. Full article.