Mass.-based burger chain to shut down more than two-thirds of its locations
The nationwide burger chain, founded in Hingham by brothers Mark, Paul and Donnie Wahlberg, will close more than two-third of its locations, according to a report from Food Republic.
The 79 locations that are shuttering belong to franchisee Hy-Vee Inc., a Midwestern supermarket chain that incorporated Wahlburgers kiosks in many of its stores as a replacement for its prior in-house dining option, Market Grille. Now, the chain plans to reintroduce Market Grille to its stores, according to Restaurant Business.
The company's 2018 franchising deal with Hy-Vee was a significant component of its expansion. However, Wahlburgers CEO Randy Sharpe doesn't seem concerned about the development, as Hy-Vee comprised only a small portion of sales, according to Restaurant Business.
'We are growing restaurants,' Sharpe said in Restaurant Business' report. 'We're not going to be in the grocery business.'
'It's best that everyone stay in what their skill sets are and move on,' he added.
The closures leave 34 locations, according to Food Republic, six of which are in Massachusetts: three in Boston (two within Boston Logan International Airport and one in the Fenway neighborhood), and one location each in Springfield, Plainville and Hingham. Outside of the United States, Wahlburgers has locations in Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
The Wahlberg brothers founded Wahlburgers in 2011, and didn't expand to a second location – Toronto – until 2014. That same year, the family launched the reality TV program 'Wahlbugers,' which aired through 2019 and earned an Emmy nomination for 'Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program.'
The latest from MassLive
How Red Sox trade deadline strategy might be impacted by Marcelo Mayer's injury | Chris Cotillo
Red Sox top draft pick (up to 99 mph) wants to make majors 'as fast as possible'
Mookie Betts isn't in lineup vs. Red Sox on Friday, but here's when he'll be back
Red Sox rookie still looking for answers on 'super annoying' wrist injury, return timeline
Red Sox' Alex Cora explains promoting David Hamilton over Vaughn Grissom
Read the original article on MassLive.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump pauses export controls to bolster China trade deal, FT says
(Reuters) -The U.S. has paused curbs on tech exports to China to avoid disrupting trade talks with Beijing and support President Donald Trump's efforts to secure a meeting with President Xi Jinping this year, the Financial Times said on Monday. The industry and security bureau of the Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, has been told in recent months to avoid tough moves on China, the newspaper said, citing current and former officials. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House and the department did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment outside business hours. Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials are set to resume talks in Stockholm on Monday to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the centre of a trade war between the world's top two economies. Tech giant Nvidia said this month it would resume sales of its H20 graphics processing units (GPU) to China, reversing an export curb the Trump administration imposed in April to keep advanced AI chips out of Chinese hands over national security concerns. The planned resumption was part of U.S. negotiations on rare earths and magnets, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said. The paper said 20 security experts and former officials, including former deputy US national security adviser Matt Pottinger, will write on Monday to Lutnick to voice concern, however. "This move represents a strategic misstep that endangers the United States' economic and military edge in artificial intelligence," they write in the letter, it added.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jake Ferguson's $52 million contract exposes Cowboys' draft mistake
Jake Ferguson's new contract should be a happy day for the Cowboys front office. A fourth round pick turned into Dak Prescott's security blanket for the future. But beneath the high-fives and congratulations is an underhanded admittance that Dallas whiffed on a draft pick not too long ago. A year after Ferguson was drafted, the Cowboys selected tight end Luke Schoonmaker in the second round of the 2023 draft. At the time, Ferguson only had 19 receptions for 174 yards his rookie year. Dalton Schultz was the starter that season but the Cowboys moved on from him. Schoonmaker, out of the University of Michigan, was expected to be an excellent blocking and pass-catching tight end. Instead it was Ferguson who stood out as a secure target over the middle while Schoonmaker struggled. The former Wolverine only had 27 receptions for 241 yards and one touchdown last season. He hasn't proven worthy of a second round investment. The Ferguson contract shows the Cowboys front office is admitting defeat on Schoonmaker. He has two years left on his rookie deal and still has a chance to prove himself, but Ferguson has taken the mantle as the primary tight end. It will take an injury or catastrophic shift if Dallas was to ever view Schoonmaker as a good pick. It's a rare miss for a front office that has drafted some elite talent. MORE: Cowboys' Jaydon Blue shows off one-handed catch in pursuit of starting running back role
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LeBron James and Maverick Carter were seen with Nikola Jokic's agent
There has been a lot of talk lately that LeBron James, one way or another, is on his way out as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and that they will look to essentially replace him with another superstar within the next couple of years. The belief is that the Lakers will try to go after either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokić next summer or during the summer of 2027. They reportedly want to keep a lot of salary cap space free for that purpose, which has led some to feel that they will essentially punt the next season or two and not try to win the NBA championship during that time. On his Instagram account, Misko Raznatovic, Jokic's agent, posted a photo of him with James and James' business manager, Maverick Carter, along with a cryptic caption. 'The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!' This will undoubtedly spark speculation about James' future beyond the next handful of months. There have already been many rumors that he will eventually ask the Lakers to trade him soon, even though he exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season. Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, who many still feel is the best basketball player in the world, can opt out of his current contract in the 2027 offseason. He just became the third player in league history to average a triple-double for an entire season, but he lost out on the 2024-25 regular-season MVP award to the Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James and Maverick Carter were seen with Nikola Jokic's agent
