Meritage Hospitality Group, a massive Michigan-based franchise group, is preparing to open a new Wendy’s at 6885 Longleaf Pine Pkwy in St. Johns.
The group’s newest location is moving into a vacant lot across from the Publix-anchored Shoppes at RiverTown. Last year, the company was issued a permit for St. Augustine-based North Coast Construction Co. to build a 2,834-square-foot Wendy’s restaurant and drive-thru for $550,000. Now that the restaurant is getting closer to opening, MHG is currently hiring for this new restaurant, which is expected to open in early 2024, according to a recent job posting.
Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the United States, operating over 380 restaurants across 16 states. On top of Wendy’s, Meritage Hospitality Group also franchises Taco John’s, Morning Belle, and Stan’s Tacos. The company is currently celebrating 25 years as a Wendy’s franchisee. This year, MHG opened the first of the chain’s “Global Next Gen” restaurants in Oklahoma and Kansas. New features include a dedicated pick-up window, parking for delivery drivers, and shelving where customers can pick up their mobile orders.
“The Global Next Gen future-forward design unlocks 400 times the capacity for digital orders, accelerating the System’s digital growth,” Wendy’s President, International & Chief Development Officer Abigail Pringle said in a press release earlier this year. “By bringing Global Next Gen from cutting-edge blueprints to successful openings in less than one year, Wendy’s global structure is enabling System-wide expansion optimized to the digital age.”
