Florida Turnpike travelers are getting more places to stop for chicken fingers. Zaxby’s plans four additional restaurants at service plazas along the toll road after opening the first location under a five-restaurant agreement in late September. The expansion takes the chain beyond its usual standalone restaurant format.
The move is another step for the chain, which has also been expanding into new states. In an October 6 announcement, Zaxby’s said it is working with travel-hospitality operator Areas USA to bring five restaurants to Florida Turnpike service plazas in all.
The first Turnpike restaurant is already open
The first Zaxby’s in the agreement opened September 29 at the Turkey Lake Service Plaza near Orlando, at milepost 263. It is a different kind of setting for the Georgia-based chicken chain: a restaurant built around travelers taking a break on a major highway, rather than customers visiting a neighborhood shopping center.
That opening leaves four restaurants still planned under the deal. The companies have not announced the specific service plazas for those additional locations or when each is expected to open. That means drivers should not assume their usual Turnpike stop will have a Zaxby’s anytime soon.
The arrangement is Zaxby’s largest development agreement so far for locations outside traditional restaurants. Areas USA already operates food and retail concessions at Turnpike service plazas, making it the partner responsible for bringing the chain into those travel-oriented spaces.
Why Zaxby’s is moving onto the highway
The restaurant is best known for chicken fingers, wings and dipping sauces. Those are familiar, relatively quick meals for drivers who want something more substantial than a packaged snack but do not want to leave the toll road for lunch or dinner.
Florida has been investing in its service plazas as well. State transportation officials highlighted Zaxby’s among the new or refreshed food options at the plazas in a September 29 update, alongside other quick-service businesses.
For Zaxby’s, the agreement also creates a way to reach travelers who may not live near one of its regular locations. The company says it is exploring other places where a smaller or different restaurant format could work, including airports, college campuses and military installations.
The immediate expansion count, however, is four more Florida Turnpike restaurants. The one at Turkey Lake has already opened; the remaining four are plans, with their locations and launch dates still to be announced.
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