An Ohio Wendy's will honor its founder Dave Thomas, with the first of several modern restaurants that will also promote the franchise's history, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The fast food restaurant distributor began construction Friday on a new state-of-the-art restaurant in Dublin,Ohio that will feature digital menu boards, a fireplace, lounge chairs, flat-screen TVs, and wi-fi stations. The decor will tie into the company's "image activation" idea the Columbus Dispatch reported.
"The Wendy's Co. has made significant investments in maintaining its international headquarters in Dublin," Dublin Mayor Tim Lecklider told the Dispatch.
Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini told the Dispatch the company wants the location to be a go-to place.
"We want this to be a destination, a real landmark for Dublin," Bertini said. "We don't want to go into the details just yet about what will be on display," he told the Dispatch. We'll leave that to the opening."
There will reportedly be exhibit, which will display Thomas's torch held prior to Atlanta's 1996 Olympics, the Dispatch reported. A "pick-up window sign" used in the beginning of the restaurants existence will also be included.
Work on the 4,300 square-foot structure, slightly larger than a typical restaurant of its size, is scheduled to begin next week with an opening date sometime in December the Dispatch reported.
Wendy's will shut down and destroy a nearby location west of the construction site. According to the Dispatch, 700 employees are currently employed by the company at its headquarters located on Dave Thomas Drive.
Wendy's expects to build 25 new locations under the new theme, while renovating 100 additional ones the Dispatch reported. Forty are expected to have the company's new vision while 150 have applied since updates began in 2011.
