Checkers and Rally's, the value-centric drive-thru burger joint that several years ago had a presence in Tucson, are returning to the market possibly as early as next summer.
And over the next 10 years, the Tampa, Florida-based Checkers & Rally's national chain hopes to have 22 restaurants operating in the Tucson area, mostly in middle- to lower-middle class neighborhoods, said Robert Bhagwandat, the company's director of franchise development.
Bhagwandat said he is not sure if Tucson will get Rally's or Checkers restaurants or both. The menus at both are the same and both are drive-thru only, meaning there is no dining room and all food is basically served to-go.
Bhagwandat said Tucson is an ideal market for Checkers & Rally's given its strong blue-collar, working-class population that fits the ideal demographic for the company’s value-driven customer base.
"Those are hard-working people who value each dollar they make, and that’s the consumer that really, really tends to gravitate towards Rally’s and Checkers,” he said.
Rally's started in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1985. A year later, the first Checkers drive-thru burger stand opened in Mobile, Alabama. The two served nearly identical menus, which led to their merger in 1999.
The menus of burgers, seasoned fries and milkshakes, with an emphasis on lower prices. Their summer $4 meal deal, for example, includes a sandwich, small fries, a snack milkshake and small drink.
"It's more of that person who understands what it is to make a dollar, that’s who we are really going after, that middle income, lower middle income customer,” Bhagwandat explained.
He said the company, which has franchised restaurants in Yuma and the Phoenix area, is shooting for summer or fall 2017 to open the first restaurant. No location has been identified, nor have they named a franchise operator, he said.
He also did not know if the restaurant would be a Rally's or Checkers.
Rally's had a foothold in Tucson until just a few years ago.
