More Char-Grills coming
Char-Grill built its reputation and business slowly, one burger at a time.
But after 32 years, expansion is on the front burner for the landmark Raleigh business.
In about 90 days, Char-Grill will start to sell franchised locations, creating the potential for the kind of rapid growth that has made other burger joints household names.
There’s nothing fancy about the burgers, milkshakes and fries that have already made Char-Grill a household name in Raleigh. But company co-founders Mahlon Aycock and Ryon Wilder are hoping that the simple fare will help them grab a bigger piece of the $60-billion-a-year burger business.
It won’t be easy.
Nearly every restaurant serves a burger or two, and the number of specialty burger restaurants is growing as Red Robin, Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries and Steak ‘n Shake enter the market.
This is the second time that Aycock and Wilder have tried franchising.
The first time was in the early 1990s, when three franchised Char-Grills opened that, Wilder said, “were all miserable failures.”
“All of the people we did business with were from Raleigh and were friends and acquaintances,” he said. “As my daddy used to say, ‘You don’t know your sweetheart ’til you marry her.’ ”
Those three Char-Grill outlets closed, and the company held steady with four corporate-owned locations — all in Raleigh — until two months ago, when a fifth opened in Cary.
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