SYCAMORE – It will still be a couple more months before a well-known national fast food chain franchise rises from the ashes of a previous building fire in Sycamore, said Wendy’s franchisee owner this week.
Sean Niklas, president of Wendy’s franchisee Saren Restaurants, Inc., said he owns the DeKalb location already and closed on the Sycamore site, which was formerly Hardee’s, in December 2020. He said he was originally targeting a July opening date for the Sycamore shop, but the date continues to be pushed back. He said he now hopes to open the new location before the end of August.
“Supply chains around the world are really struggling and virtually all of our equipment is impacted by that,” Niklas said. “So it’s a moving target.”
Niklas said the date being pushed back hasn’t been so much because of building costs, adding that construction for the new Sycamore site will be wrapping up soon. He said he’s also seen the price of lumber grow during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s almost sickening to look at,” Niklas said.
Previously, a January 2015 fire destroyed the chain restaurant at its former East State Street location and the building shell was demolished seven months later. At the time, fire officials estimated the damage to be about $500,000, or a total loss.
Sycamore city officials previously said Hardee’s left the DeKalb Avenue location.
Former Sycamore City Manager Brian Gregory previously said he has heard a number of comments from residents about how they wanted to see a Wendy’s come to the city after the previous franchise burned down six years ago.
Niklas said local contractors that have been working on site have told him they have received questions from passersby about when the new shop is opening. He said it’s a good feeling, adding he loves the Wendy’s brand and it’s good to see when it resonates with other people, too.
“So there’s some anticipation and obviously that’s very much appreciated,” Niklas said.
Niklas said anyone interested in keeping up to date with news about the opening can follow the Facebook pages My Sycamore Wendy’s and Saren Restaurants Inc.
Niklas previously said he knows the new Sycamore location, which will be the franchise’s 11th one, isn’t too far away from the Wendy’s in DeKalb. However, he had said, it could still take longer than expected to get from one to the other with a lot of stoplights in between the two sites.
“We’re just really excited to bringing back Wendy’s to the Sycamore community,” Niklas said.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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