Checkers® & Rally's® Experiences Monumental Year After Successful Expansion on the East and West Coasts

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Checkers & Rally's, an iconic and innovative drive-thru restaurant chain known for bold and flavorful food at an exceptional value and its people-first attitude, today announced its record year-end progress for 2021 and accelerated growth plans for 2022 as the restaurant brand continues to reach new markets and expand nationwide. This past year, the company successfully executed 90 new commitments towards new restaurants, attributing 39 units to existing franchisees and 51 units to new franchisees. The company is expected to open more than 60 new sites in 2022.

Earlier this year, Checkers & Rally's announced a successful rollout in the East Coast with a six-unit deal in Rhode Island, marking an entrance into the 26^th state for the company, a five-unit deal in Maryland, a five-unit deal in South Carolina and a five-unit deal in Georgia. Further, in Orange County, the company announced a 15-store development agreement and a 6-store development agreement for Maricopa county, and additional West Coast franchise agreements in Texas, Arizona and California markets, with plans to focus on San Diego.

With a large focus on nationwide growth and strengthening its multi-unit franchise system, Checkers & Rally's signed 14 multi-unit development deals this past year. Its small real estate footprint, double drive-thru and advanced delivery focused concept has done particularly well as consumer preference continues to shift towards off-premise options, fueling growth for both new and existing franchisees.

"We are very pleased with the momentum Checkers & Rally's maintained in 2021 as we successfully rolled out in multiple new markets and saw rapid growth on the East and West Coasts," said Frances Allen, Chief Executive Officer at Checkers & Rally's. "Given the unprecedented challenges within our industry, the company's success is a strong testament to our hardworking employees and franchisees, and I'm very proud of all that we have accomplished this year and have in the pipeline for 2022."

Checkers and Rally's expects to see even more growth in the year ahead. The company has already approved 60 new franchisee units scheduled to open this year and is eyeing continued expansion in California, Texas, Arizona, Massachusetts, Connecticut and North and South Carolina to bolster new and existing franchise portfolios.

"As we enter a New Year full of new opportunities, our goal is to continue our rapid growth and expansion into new markets that are currently underdeveloped," said Kristen McDonald, Vice President of Development at Checkers and Rally's. "Our smaller store footprint, modern new building design, emphasis on technology implementation and double drive-thru format will help the company remain poised to meet growing customer demand and scale successfully moving forward. We look forward to working closely with new and existing franchisees in 2022."

Checkers has 850 locations nationwide and growing. To learn more about its franchising opportunities, please visit CheckersFranchising.com.

About Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.
Based in Tampa, Fla., Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., an iconic and innovative drive-thru restaurant chain known for its bold, craveable food, famous fries, exceptional value, and people-first attitude, operates and franchises both Checkers^® and Rally's^® restaurants. With 850 restaurants and room to grow, Checkers & Rally's is a proven brand with flexible building formats that is aggressively expanding across the country. Checkers & Rally's is dedicated to being a place where franchisees and employees who work hard can create opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities. In recent years, the brand has earned several of the industry's most prestigious awards including: "#1 Most Craveable Fries" by Restaurant Business 2020 and 2018; Best Franchise Deal and "Best Drive-Thru in America" by QSR Magazine; Top Food and Beverage Franchise by Franchise Business Review; the "Hot! Again" award from Nation's Restaurant News and has consistently been ranked on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500.

SOURCE Checkers & Rally's Restaurants, Inc.