Zaxby’s plans seven new Missouri restaurants, expanding its footprint across the St. Louis region

Multi-unit deal targets St. Louis and Columbia markets

Zaxby’s, a Georgia-based quick-service chicken chain known for chicken fingers, wings and a sauce-focused menu, is planning a new wave of growth in Missouri that includes the St. Louis metro. The company has signed a development agreement calling for seven restaurants across the St. Louis and Columbia areas over the coming years.

The expansion is tied to a franchise group operating as Triple Z Holdings LLC. The agreement adds to an existing Zaxby’s presence in Missouri, where the brand already has locations in the St. Louis area.

What “nearly double” can mean for local store count

The company and franchise group have not released a full list of future addresses, opening dates or an exact breakdown of how many of the seven restaurants will be built in the St. Louis market versus the Columbia area. Still, the deal size is notable for a region where growth often happens incrementally through single-store openings.

Because the announcement describes Zaxby’s as having an established footprint in the St. Louis area, adding multiple new restaurants could represent a significant percentage increase in the number of locations serving the metro. Whether it equates to “nearly doubling” will depend on the current count of operating restaurants and how many of the seven are ultimately sited in the St. Louis region.

How the restaurants are likely to be developed

The parties have characterized the plan as a multi-store development effort rather than a single project. In typical franchise development structures, such agreements set a roadmap for opening a defined number of restaurants within a specified period, with site selection, permitting, construction and staffing occurring in phases.

While the Missouri agreement does not publicly detail store formats, Zaxby’s has used a range of models nationally, including drive-thru-oriented builds and smaller footprints designed to fit tighter commercial corridors—factors that can affect where restaurants can be placed, how quickly they can open, and the level of neighborhood traffic they generate.

What the expansion signals about St. Louis-area competition

The St. Louis region has remained an active battleground for chicken-focused quick-service brands, with growth shaped by consumer demand for drive-thru convenience, delivery and value-focused menus. New Zaxby’s openings would add competition for established national players as well as strong local and regional concepts.

Key facts at a glance

• Zaxby’s has signed a Missouri development agreement for seven restaurants.
• The planned growth targets the greater St. Louis region and the Columbia area.
• Specific store sites and an opening timeline have not been publicly released.

For St. Louis-area diners, the practical impact will hinge on where the new restaurants are placed, how quickly they are built, and whether the majority of the seven units land in the metro area.

Additional details are expected to emerge as sites move through municipal review, leasing and permitting—processes that typically provide the first public signals of where and when new restaurants will open.