There’s little doubt that Dan Fitzpatrick’s team not only knows what they’re doing…but, have also mastered the reconstruction process to the point they might actually be able to do it in their sleep.
Fitzpatrick, CEO of Quality Dining in Mishawaka, has once again been successful in pin-pointing almost to the minute when one of his Burger King restaurants would come back on line after either a major makeover or a complete remove-and-replace project such as the one just completed on Pipestone Road in Benton Harbor.
As he predicted just days before bulldozers made mincemeat of the dated atrium glass and mansard roof at the aging restaurant, the shining new restaurant re-opened last week just 60 construction days after the old one disappeared. That’s actually three days faster than the 63 days it took to replace the St. Joseph Burger King last year.
The long standing Burger King along Pipestone draws considerable traffic off of I-94, just yards away from the exit ramps there. The aging look of the old place has been replaced by the sleek new design we’ve all seen in St. Joseph, Watervliet, along Red Arrow Highway in Stevensville, along M-139 in Benton Harbor and elsewhere in Quality Dining’s far-reaching realm.
The company owns and operates nearly 160 Burger King restaurants in Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana, as well as 45 Chili’s Grill & Bar sites and the Papa Vino’s Italian Restaurant chain. In fact, in Southtown St. Joe his Burger King and Chili’s are across the parking lot from one another, and Papa Vino’s is a chip-shot away off the corner of Hilltop & Washington in St. Joe.
Fitzpatrick’s expertise at getting high performing construction teams has allowed him to set very aggressive demolition, renovation and reconstruction teams over the last several years, minimizing the time that his restaurant’s are out of commission while undergoing the extensive makeovers required to keep pace with market trends, innovations and enhancements.
The new 3,500 square foot Burger King rose from the ground rapidly as soon as the debris of the demolition was removed and re-opened for business at 10am Thursday morning.
Fitzpatrick said he would be investing $1.5-million or more in the new building which he said would have 45 to 50 employees on staff upon re-opening for business. The interior decor is similar to most of the renovated Burger Kings in Quality Dining’s line up in Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana. The new makeover also includes digital menu boards in each lane of the double drive through set up, and cafe-style seating indoors.
