After restaurants such as Guthrie's and Joe's Deli shut down in Gainesville, a new Zaxby's is opening up shop.
The popular Atlanta-based franchise opened its doors to the public at a downtown location at Northwest 10th Avenue and Main Street Monday.
Zaxby's has two other Gainesville locations, one on Northwest 43rd Street and another on Southwest Archer Road in Butler Plaza.
Such business expansion seems out of place in today's economy, but Lisa Swan, assistant manager of the new Zaxby's, said she's not worried about any of that.
Swan said she was confident that popularity of the Zaxby's brand would be enough to stimulate business.
"Customer service is our goal," she added. "Keep the customers happy, and they'll keep coming back."
Josh Ditto, 20, is a resident of downtown Gainesville who stopped by for some chicken fingers. He said he was excited to hear that a Zaxby's had opened close by.
"I like their chicken," Ditto said. "I'll be back."
