Shake Shack, Nothing Bundt Cakes join chain restaurant explosion in WNY
While some national chains have had a presence here for years and are adding more sites, a handful of national food franchises have landed in Buffalo for the first time this year.
Although some national chains have been operating in Buffalo for many years, others are expanding their presence. However, this year saw a few national food franchises make their debut in Buffalo. Atomic Wings opened its Niagara Falls first franchise in September at 9499 Niagara Falls Blvd. According to franchisee AITS Inc. (a company headed by Imrul Imran & Chowdhury Toyaha), another two to three locations could be opened. In 1989, the franchise, which is based in Maryland, opened its first New York City location. BB.Q Chicken opened its Amherst first local location this spring at 1400 Millersport Highway, in the Triad Apartments Building. Korean restaurant chain BB.Q Chicken, which specializes in fried chicken wings and fingers, has more than 4,000 locations worldwide. There are 100 more in development. Chick-fil-A opened a third location in Hamburg with Drake Rabon, a franchisee. This store joins the stores in Depew and Cheektowaga. Clarence, 5205 Transit Road. A second location is in development. Jersey Mike's has added a second location to its Hamburg store at 3670 McKinley Parkway. This joins a shop that opened at The Boulevard in Amherst, 1595 Niagara Falls Blvd. in 2020. Jet's Pizza opened a second location at 5401 Sheridan Drive, Williamsville Place in July. This joins a 2165 Delaware Ave. store that was established in 2015. The restaurant specializes in New York-style thin-crust pizza and Detroit-style pizza. Jet's Pizza is based in the Midwest and has locations across 19 states. Nothing Bundt Cakes will open its first Amherst location at 1715 Niagara Falls Boulevard. Amherst at Ridge Lea. Late this fall, Papa John's opened a Buffalo store at 1155 Main St., in the Grid apartment building. This site joins two other locations in Niagara Falls, and two in Amherst. Franchisee Muhammad Shoaib introduced the chain to the market in 2016. Next year, Shake Shack will open its regional location at the New York State Thruway Service area. The burger and shakes restaurant will join Panda Express and Auntie Anne's as well as Cinnabon, Cinnabon, and Starbucks. New York City-based Shake Shack has 369 locations across the U.S.