# Newk's Eatery

> Newk's Eatery is a Jackson, Mississippi-based fast-casual restaurant chain serving scratch-made salads, sandwiches, soups, pizzas and cakes across nearly 100 locations. Its differentiator is an unusually broad, protein-forward menu prepared without fryers or microwaves, paired with Southern hospitality, catering, delivery, mobile ordering and a franchise model. After COVID-19 erased most dine-in sales, Newk's cut menu complexity, built curbside service in four days and later adopted smaller formats, shared purchasing and flexible real estate - a practical case study in protecting food quality while removing operational drag.

- **Founded:** 2004
- **Headquarters:** Jackson, United States
- **Founders:** Chris Newcomb (Co-founder and namesake; former CEO and executive chairman), Don Newcomb (Co-founder), Debra Bryson (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** Approximately 1,700 employees according to supplied company intelligence; LinkedIn lists 51-200 corporate employees.
- **Products:** Fast-casual restaurant menu, Catering, Digital ordering and delivery, Newk's Rewards, Franchise program
- **Notable:** Opened its first franchised restaurant one year after founding., Reached 100 locations in 2016., Raised more than $2.3 million through Newk's Cares for ovarian-cancer research and awareness by 2026.

## Products & services

- **Fast-casual restaurant menu** — Made-to-order salads, toasted sandwiches, kettle-batch soups, pizzas, macaroni and cheese, desserts and beverages, prepared without fryers or microwaves.
- **Catering** — Boxed lunches, sandwich and salad trays, soups, desserts and party packages for offices, meetings and events.
- **Digital ordering and delivery** — App and web ordering for pickup, curbside and delivery, supplemented by DoorDash and Uber Eats distribution.
- **Newk's Rewards** — A points-based loyalty program offering 10 points per dollar, free-food redemptions, promotions and birthday rewards.
- **Franchise program** — Multi-unit restaurant development supported by site selection, construction, operations, marketing and flexible inline, end-cap and drive-thru formats.
- **Pick Three** — A mix-and-match value offer that lets guests combine three menu categories in one meal.

## Achievements

- Opened its first franchised restaurant one year after founding.
- Reached 100 locations in 2016.
- Raised more than $2.3 million through Newk's Cares for ovarian-cancer research and awareness by 2026.
- Named No. 25 on the 2026 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list.
- Ranked No. 229 on the 2025 Franchise Times Top 400.
- Ranked No. 198 on Technomic's 2025 Top 500 chain report.
- Signed 10 franchise deals and opened five locations during 2025.
- Reduced food cost by four percentage points during the early pandemic menu simplification.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Newk's ranked No. 25 on Fast Casual's 2026 Top 100 Movers & Shakers list; Newk's Cares leader Madison Newcomb was named Woman of the Year.
- **2026-01** — The company reported five 2025 openings, 10 new franchise deals, four new markets, a University of Georgia campus unit and a target of at least 15 signed commitments in 2026.
- **2025-07** — Newk's launched the Pick Three mix-and-match offer and brought Chris Cheek back as chief development officer.
- **2025-04** — A former IHOP in Pascagoula, Mississippi was converted to a Newk's in under eight weeks.
- **2025-01** — The company said 2024 delivery represented 13% of sales, catering just under 11%, and Newk's Cares raised more than $250,000 during the year.
- **2024-08** — CEO Frank Paci outlined shared purchasing, construction and real-estate resources under FSC Franchise Co., with the combined platform carrying about $500 million in purchasing power.

## Links

- Website: https://newks.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/newks-eatery
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/newks
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NewksEatery
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newkseatery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewksEatery/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/channel/newks?lang=en

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/newks-eatery
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-22