by JOHNNY WEEKSjweeks.editor.mt@gmail.comAfter months of waiting, people in Manning and interstate travelers got their first glimpse of the new Burger King at its grand opening Friday morning. The franchise, located at the corner of Paxville Hwy and A.M. Nash Road, was almost instantly full of customers who were ready for breakfast. Many years ago, another Burger King was open on Paxville Hwy in front of the original Walmart building, but was closed down and sold to another corporation. The very popular fast food restaurant is now open in its new location and very accessible to local residents as well as travelers on the interstate.Tammie Parker, one of the general managers, was at the opening to supervise and lend a hand to ensure that customer service and satisfaction was held to a high standard.
“We have been training these employees for quite some time in how to operate everything and learn the process required to get orders out as quickly as possible and served fresh,” Parker said. “ We are currently training and hiring over 60 employees to work at Burger King.” Parker added that several of the newly hired employees live in Manning and surrounding towns making the commute to and from work shorter and convenient for them. Mayor Julia Nelson was the first person to order breakfast and enjoy a croissant sandwich. Nelson said that she was very happy to see Burger King's grand opening.
"I’m extremely excited that Burger King has returned to Manning. The building design is simply beautiful. I know that Bruce Daniels, the managing owner of Carolina Franchise Holdings along with Ben Fleming and Jimmy Gadagno, made a major financial investment to allow us to have a Burger King locally. As a community, we are extremely appreciative for their decision to invest in our city. Just from our initial conversations, I know they will be great partners for other initiatives to better our community."
The franchise is described as “state of the art” in regards to the equipment that was purchased and installed at the new location. According to Parker, every component uses the latest in technology to ensure quality and speed of food preparation. Parker said the restaurant is the most modern and highly advanced one that she has seen during her career working for Burger King.
