Latest news with #Wahlburgers
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass.-based burger chain to shut down more than two-thirds of its locations
It looks like Wahlbugers is hitting a wall. 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
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Journey of Purdue football's former top-20 recruit goes full circle with loyalty: 'He still believed'
LAS VEGAS — Tony Grimes planned to show his Purdue football teammates a small glimpse of a true Vegas experience. The transfer from UNLV wanted to take Devin Mockobee and CJ Madden to his favorite dining spot, Nico's, inside the off-strip Durango Casino Resort. He would have shared his go-to order: Burger for an appetizer, lamb chops for the entrée. Flight delays ruined those plans. Instead, the trio grabbed some carryout Wahlburgers inside Mandalay Bay and headed back to their rooms after arriving Wednesday night. In its own way, that truly reflected Grimes' year with UNLV. 'When I came to Vegas last year, yeah, I was expecting it to be something crazy,' Grimes said. 'But about two weeks in, I was like, oh, it's Vegas. You can have fun on the strip, but I'm here for football.' Grimes returned to Vegas for football Thursday, in some ways bringing his career full circle. Well, more of a figure eight. Actually it most resembles a completely haphazard doodle — not unlike one his 18-month-old daughter, Gianna, might draw. At Big Ten media days he represented his fourth (and final) team and conference. Such is the modern story of college football. Grimes began his career a blue chip recruit, weaved his way across the country through adversity and followed Barry Odom to Purdue for one final challenge. After only six-plus months on campus, though, Grimes earned a media day distinction typically reserved for a team's best leaders. Mockobee said he saw it on Day 1, when the freshly arrived transfer's spontaneous 'Purdue on three' declaration broke down a team meeting. 'He talks what he lives, and with him being an older guy, people see that and ultimately just respect it,' said Madden, in his second season after transferring from Georgia. 'He's done a great job and he's going to do great things this fall.' When he left Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 2020, Grimes could not have expected to one day wear a gold Purdue pin on his black suit at Big Ten media days. He took the long route there, too, starting at … North Carolina: Odom, as Arkansas' defensive coordinator, recruited the five-star prospect. Grimes picked the Tar Heels, though, then reclassified and entered college a year early. He began starting as a freshman, started regularly as a sophomore and junior and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors along the way. The coaches who brought Grimes to Chapel Hill began to leave. He didn't mesh with some of their replacements. So he entered the transfer portal — when Odom first tried to land him — and signed with … Texas A&M: The Aggies needed defensive back help, and Grimes was considered a big boost for a program which never quite reaches its lofty expectations. However, two weeks into preseason camp, went down with an MCL injury and knee tendinitis. He never played a snap for A&M. Grimes said he became too easily influenced by a group of teammates who 'didn't want it bad enough.' His time in College Station became a frustrating yet enlightening period. At this juncture, he stopped chasing those five-star expectations. Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher after the season, and Grimes looked elsewhere. He stayed in the Power Four by committing to … Michigan State: That's right — technically, Purdue is not Grimes' first Big Ten affiliation. Not every transfer goes smoothly, though. Grimes' credits transfer from A&M to East Lansing hit a snag. He would not be able to join the Spartans until the end of the summer. Grimes did not believe he could afford to miss spring football. So he decommitted and reconnected with a familiar face in a new place, called … UNLV: Odom's third attempt to reel in Grimes paid off. He started 13 games and recorded 20 tackles and six pass breakups. The Rebels won 11 games for the first time since 1984 and cracked the AP top 25 rankings for the first time in their 46-year history. Grimes completed his degree in communications and media studies. He could have stayed in Vegas for another year. Could have kept ordering those burger-lamb chop combos at Nico's. Instead, he felt a sense of loyalty to Odom. 'He saw something in me a lot of coaches didn't see in me,' Grimes said. 'He still believed I can be this top player in the country one day. He brought me in, and our journeys keep going.' That single honorable mention All-ACC selection remains the only conference recognition of Grimes' career. Odom, though, sees flashes of what made Grimes a top-20 national recruit more than half a decade ago. He said Grimes is in the best shape of his career and playing his best football right now. 'I think he's an NFL player,' Odom said. 'I think he's got the physical measurables to align with that. He's become a student of the game. He understands that part of that now. I think he's just scratching the surface of what he can be.' In keeping with Purdue's insistence on thinking bigger than expectations, though, Grimes set his goals higher than the Stratosphere towering over the north end of the strip. 'I have to be the top corner in the draft this year,' Grimes said. Come again? 'Yes, I will be,' Grimes said. His reasoning? He will play against great competition throughout the season. Ohio State, USC, Washington — the modern Big Ten features no shortage of receivers who can make a defensive back look fantastic or foolish. His motivation? He wants to help Purdue win immediately, and he wants to build momentum for recruiting the cornerbacks who will succeed him. Yet he's also no longer playing merely for pride and competition. He met Guadalupe Avalos-Castro when she was a pre-med student at North Carolina. She and Gianna will be with him in West Lafayette at he takes graduate school classes and closes his college football career. Grimes has already penned an epic script with this coast-to-coast journey. He's also an aspiring film maker who has been working on a screen play since his time with the Tar Heels. He declined to divulge the subject. 'I can't get into too much stuff, but it's gonna be good,' Grimes said. 'It's gonna be real good.' If Grimes' Purdue season goes as planned, they'll be calling it, 'Worth the wait.'
Entrepreneur
6 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Wahlburgers Closing More Than Half of Its Locations
The popular burger chain, founded by Mark Wahlberg and his brothers Donnie and Paul, will no longer be found in Midwest grocery giant Hy-Vee stores. Wahlburgers, the burger chain founded by chef Paul Wahlberg and his celebrity brothers Mark and Donnie, announced the closure of 79 locations. USA Today reports that the shuttered restaurants were all located within Midwestern grocery giant Hy-Vee stores. The partnership between Wahlburgers and Hy-Vee played a large part in the brand's expansion, but ultimately led to overextension, say industry experts. Hy-Vee announced plans to revert these in-store eateries to its own Market Grille brand. Related: How Wahlburgers Finds Success Through Feedback This move leaves the burger chain with just over 40 remaining locations nationwide. Restaurant Business Online spoke with Wahlburgers CEO Randy Sharpe, who explained that these locations accounted for a "small portion of sales" and that the chain wants to focus more on its actual restaurants rather than what amounted to kiosks. "We are growing restaurants," Sharpe said. "We're not going to be in the grocery business." Sharpe told the outlet that the chain plans to open 15 new locations this year. Related: Mark Wahlberg Says He's Shifted His Viral Morning Routine to Work Around His Three Teenagers: 'I'm Up and Down the Stairs at Least Three Times' Wahlbergs opened its first location outside of Boston in 2011. It began rapidly expanding thanks to franchising, and per RDO, went from 30 locations in 2019 to 109 in 2023. The rise of the restaurant chain was captured on the reality TV show, Wahlburgers, that ran from 2014 to 2019. In 2020, Mark Wahlberg discussed the rise of Wahlburgers and how it fit into his vision of success during an interview with Entrepreneur magazine, which you can read here. Join top CEOs, founders, and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue, and building sustainable success.
USA Today
22-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Wahlburgers closes 79 locations nationwide in 2025 shake-up
Wahlburgers has closed nearly 80 locations this year, dipping to 34 restaurants nationwide. The burger chain founded by actor Mark Wahlberg and his brothers, Donnie and Paul, simultaneously closed 79 locations earlier this year that were in Hy-Vee grocery stores, Eat This, Not That reported earlier this month, ending an agreement that started in 2017. Wahlburgers CEO Randy Sharpe told Nation's Restaurant News that the closures affected food court kiosks at the Iowa-based chain. "It's not a full-service restaurant, and it wasn't a significant revenue driver for either side,' Sharpe told the publication. Here's what to know. Where are Hy-Vee stores located? Hy-Vee operates 302 stores in Iowa and seven states near it, according to the web scraping tool ScrapeHero. Iowa has the most in the U.S. with 151 locations. Other locations include the rest of the Midwest and the Southern region of the country, too. Mark Wahlberg owns Chevrolet, Buick and GMC auto dealerships Wahlburgers isn't Mark Wahlberg's only business interest. The former rapper known in the 1990s for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch also owns several auto dealerships in the Buckeye State. Mark Wahlberg has Chevrolet dealerships in various parts of Ohio, including Columbus, Worthington and Avon, as well as a Buick GMC dealership in Columbus. The dealership websites prominently feature a photo of the Hollywood actor. But wait, there's more Wahlberg launched a Mexican-inspired restaurant, Flecha Cantina, in bustling Las Vegas late last year. He's also a co-owner and brand ambassador for Flecha Azul Tequila, which he partnered with in 2022. Wahlberg made his mark in the fashion industry as well, becoming a co-founder and owner of Municipal clothing. The lifestyle brand blends athleisure apparel with streetwear flair and launched in 2020.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Beloved Burger Chain Quietly Closed 79 Locations This Year
Burger chains are one of the most popular restaurant chains in America. There are more than 86,000 businesses in the burger restaurants industry in the U.S. according to research conducted by QSR Magazine. Of course, while places like McDonald's and Burger King are known for their fast food burgers, there are plenty of other establishments that are more in the casual dining area that are also popular for their burgers. Now, one popular burger chain has been quietly closing locations this year. This chain isn't going away or going bankrupt, though, and the chain's CEO is clarifying what these closings really mean. Wahlburgers burger chain, owned by Paul, Donnie and Mark Wahlburg, has closed 79 locations this year, according to Eat This, Not That. But, it's not as bad as it looks. One of the reasons for the closings is the end of a franchise agreement, with Eat This, Not That stating, "Wahlburgers closed down several locations located within Hy-Vee stores, ending a franchising agreement that started in 2017." CEO Randy Sharpe set the record straight on what was going on with those locations in February. In an article from Nation's Restaurant News, he firmly stated, "It's not 79 restaurants closing. If you saw what was being shuttered, it's a food court kiosk. It's not a full-service restaurant, and it wasn't a significant revenue driver for either side." "We've learned from the past, and we're focused on quality, not quantity,' he added. "This isn't about closing locations; it's about ensuring that every Wahlburgers represents what we stand for — great food, great service, and great partnerships." In some good news for Wahlburgers, the restaurant recently updated its menu and added new menu items such as Teriyaki Pineapple Smashburger, WahlStreet Spritz and Strawberry Shortcake Shake. "At Wahlburgers, we're always pushing flavor forward while staying rooted in what our guests crave," Sharpe said in a statement. "This limited-time lineup was inspired by bold, summer-driven flavors — from tropical pineapple and savory teriyaki to nostalgic sweets like our strawberry shortcake with a classic Twinkie."Beloved Burger Chain Quietly Closed 79 Locations This Year first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 12, 2025
