Wendy’s at Beacon Center slated to open in late 2022

Construction of a new Wendy’s has begun at an open pad site at Beacon Center in Groveton, and the restaurant is tentatively scheduled to start operations in November, according to the company’s PR representative.

Once finished, the new 2,640-square-foot restaurant — whose construction was approved by county officials back in April 2019 — will feature a drive-through, 15 dedicated parking spaces, 55 indoor seats and 12 outdoor patio seats in a fenced-in area at the front of the building facing Richmond Highway.

Construction activity at the Wendy's pad site at Beacon Center

Before kicking off construction activities this summer, contractors had to demolish 52 existing parking spaces at the pad site, which is located between Famous Dave’s and TGI Friday’s. County documents show that the owner and operator of the Wendy’s plans to improve pedestrian circulation around the restaurant, ensure unimpeded traffic flow, improve landscaping and contribute about 50% of the costs of frontage improvements along Richmond Highway, to be realized during the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit system.

The new restaurant will open approximately five years after the closure of the Wendy’s location at Richmond Highway and Fairview Avenue in Penn Daw, which had been a Route 1 fixture for decades. The Wendy’s at Beacon Center was long intended to replace that shuttered location — now the site of The Belhaven Apartments, which is scheduled to open later this year.