Drivers rolling through Orlando's Turkey Lake Service Plaza now have a new reason to pull over: Zaxbys opened its first Florida Turnpike restaurant there on September 29, serving its signature chicken fingers, wings and sauces to travelers at Milepost 263. The opening marks the start of a five-restaurant agreement between the chicken chain and Areas USA, the company that runs food and retail concessions across the Turnpike's travel plazas.
As reported by WFTV, Zaxbys and Areas USA have not identified the other four locations that will join Turkey Lake under the deal, nor have they offered opening dates for those restaurants. Zaxbys has described the arrangement as its largest development deal for locations outside its traditional freestanding restaurants, according to the same report. Areas USA, for its part, already operates restaurants and other businesses at travel destinations through its existing partnership with Florida's Turnpike Enterprise.
A Plaza Built for High Traffic
A Plaza Built for High Traffic The plaza is also home to one of only two tire-pressure check systems of its kind in the country — the WheelRight system evaluates tire pressure automatically as drivers enter the plaza, per WFTV.
Turkey Lake is one of the service plazas along Florida's Turnpike, giving travelers a place to stop on the road.
The Deal Behind the Drive-Thru
The Deal Behind the Drive-Thru Areas USA's existing partnership with Florida's Turnpike Enterprise includes food and retail concessions at the Turnpike's travel plazas.
Hoodline has previously reported on Areas USA's role as a master concessionaire overseeing food courts at Florida travel hubs, in a piece on a pizza shop inspection failure at Miami International Airport.
Zaxbys' Bigger Play Beyond the Drive-Thru
Zaxbys' Bigger Play Beyond the Drive-Thru The Turkey Lake opening fits into a broader expansion push for Zaxbys. The chain has surpassed 1,000 restaurants nationwide and set a target of opening more than 60 new locations during 2026, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Florida is among the states where the brand operates.
Much of that growth is being driven by a new building strategy. Zaxbys has rolled out a Modern Farmhouse design with six flexible building prototypes — including drive-thru-only and non-traditional formats. Zaxbys is exploring restaurants at airports, colleges and universities, military installations and other high-traffic destinations, according to WFTV.
Hoodline recently covered Zaxbys' push into a third Las Vegas-area location, part of the same national expansion strategy now playing out on Florida's Turnpike. For now, the identities of the four remaining Turnpike restaurants, along with their opening timelines, remain unannounced by both companies.
