This Local Fast-Food Chain Is Opening Up Inside Walmart
McDonald's started closing down its locations inside of America's largest retail chain about 10 years ago, which subsequently left about 700 empty retail spaces inside of Walmart stores.
Now, other fast-food chains are moving in—including Wendy's. America's second-largest burger chain recently opened up its first Hamburger Stand inside a Walmart store. Next up is another fast-food chain that hungry shoppers in Texas already know and love.
Related: Walmart Shoppers Say These Are The Best Frozen Meals at the Store
Fast-casual Mediterranean chain Shawarma Press is opening up inside of Walmart.
Shawarma is a dish in which meat such as beef, chicken, lamb, or turkey gets cut into thin slices and stacked on a cone. After it's roasted, the meat is cut off to use in bowls, platters, salads, wraps, and more meals.
Shawarma Press is known for its "fusion" namesake menu items like the Tandoori Press and Tex-Mex Shawarmas. The Texas-born brand has operated a location in Irving for about five years, and it is adding seven locations inside neighborhood Walmart stores. According to Community Impact Newspaper, a filing shows that work on the restaurant slated to open in the Walmart Supercenter in Plano is "expected to be completed in early November."
"We were the first establishment to introduce shawarma in the Dallas-Fort-Worth metroplex," Sawsan Abublan, the company's founder and CEO, said in a press release shared with Eat This, Not That!. "Some people are not familiar with it, so we explain that 'shawarma' is the wrap, and 'press' refers to the grill or griddle used to make the wrap crispy. Customers appreciate that shawarma and the rest of our dishes are made from scratch, including Mediterranean staples such as our famous hummus, falafel, and sauces."
The chain is in the middle of a huge expansion.
"We're thrilled by this opportunity to introduce our fast-casual Mediterranean food concept to everyone," Abublan added. "With 10 new franchises launching in Walmart and other locations, the timing is perfect for us to delight customers with the many delicious flavors and health benefits of Mediterranean food."
Additional moves are indeed on the horizon for Shawarma Press. As the growing chain adds more locations in Texas next year, it will also expand into Florida and Oklahoma.
Arlington, Georgetown, Plano, and San Antonio restaurants are being added as we speak, with additional locations in Irving, Frisco, and Mansfield set to open next year. Some of these restaurants will be inside Walmart stores.
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This isn't the first fast-food chain to snag space inside Walmart.
Throughout 2021, fast-food restaurants such as Dominos, La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe, Nathan's Famous, Saladworks, Taco Bell, and Wow Bao have added locations inside Walmart stores to their footprints.
Wendy's is the latest marquee name to join the club, with one of its new Hamburger Stands recently opening inside a Walmart in Heath, Ohio. Another location is coming to the Buckeye State later this year, but if you want the exclusive Jalapeño Popper Chicken Nuggets or Strawberry Frosty right now, you'll have to make the trip to Heath.
This isn't the only change coming to a Walmart near you.
As the holiday season gets closer and closer, Walmart is making some changes. While there have been shortages of items like beef, pork, juice, and more, Walmart is putting some items on sale way before Black Friday and expanding the number of stores where shoppers can get alcohol online.
For more on what's happening at your neighborhood Walmart, check out:
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This New Walmart Program Can Help You Find Healthier Groceries
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