A new Zaxbys is set to open on Monday, Oct. 19, at 201 Corbin St. in Carnes Crossroads, bringing a drive-thru, curbside pickup and nearly 3,000 square feet of dining space to one of Berkeley County's fastest-growing corners. The fast-casual chicken chain will celebrate with a grand opening run from Nov. 2 through Nov. 8, featuring daily giveaways that include a Zaxbys Deck of Dealz and branded merchandise.
The new location will be owned and operated by Guernsey Holdings, according to the Post and Courier. It marks the franchise group's 47th Zaxbys restaurant overall and its 21st in South Carolina. The restaurant is expected to employ up to 60 workers, and the paper notes that job applicants can apply in person for available positions.
Inside, the design leans on modern farmhouse styling paired with Zaxbys branding, signature colors, logos and sauce-inspired artwork, per the company's press release as relayed in the same report. Seating accommodates more than 50 guests, and the building includes dedicated curbside pickup and delivery parking spaces, with delivery available through DoorDash, Uber Eats and ezCater. The menu leans on the chain's staples: made-to-order Chicken Fingerz, wings, Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas and fried pickles, along with a limited-time Nerds Strawberry Milkshake.
A Franchisee Scaling Fast Across the Southeast
Guernsey Holdings entered the Zaxbys system in April 2024 by acquiring 20 South Carolina locations from longtime operators Performance Management Group, according to FranchiseWire. The firm now manages a portfolio that includes 43 Zaxby's locations across South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia, alongside 133 Sonic Drive-In locations, according to Guernsey Holdings.
Zaxbys itself has grown well beyond its 1990 founding, expanding to more than 1,000 locations across 23 states from its Atlanta headquarters. The chain's national push accelerated after late 2020, when private equity firm Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division acquired a significant majority stake to fund further expansion, as reported by Restaurant Business Magazine. Co-founder Zach McLeroy remained to guide the growth strategy while co-founder Tony Townley exited following the investment. Industry rankings from QSR Magazine have placed Zaxbys as the fifth-largest quick-service chicken chain in the country by systemwide sales, trailing Chick-fil-A, KFC, Popeyes and Wingstop, per the Daily Meal.
Why Carnes Crossroads Is Drawing National Retail Attention
The new restaurant sits in a commercial district directly across from the Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital campus, a 50-bed full-service medical center that provides a daytime traffic base for nearby dining options, according to LocatingCHS.
That growth is part of a much larger pattern across Berkeley County. Mega-subdivisions including Carnes Crossroads, Nexton and Cane Bay are projected to reach a combined population of 50,000 to 75,000 residents, with census data showing the county gained an average of 8,500 residents annually between 2020 and 2026, according to the Post and Courier. Nearby Goose Creek has swelled to 49,000 residents, making it South Carolina's eighth-largest municipality, as residential expansion in master-planned communities like Carnes Crossroads reshapes the broader trade area, per Charleston Living Magazine.
National Retailers Are Already Following the Rooftops
Big-box retailers are moving in step with the housing boom. Home Depot purchased an $11 million land site along Highway 176 near the Nexton and Carnes Crossroads corridor in June, a signal of major national retail investment following the area's residential expansion, according to the Charleston Daily. At the center of the development, a repurposed 1930s green timber barn built by local businessman Howard Prettyman still stands as a community event pavilion, a preserved link to the land's agricultural past, according to Camp Hall.
The Summerville opening adds to a string of recent Zaxbys expansions that Hoodline has tracked elsewhere in the country, including a new Orlando turnpike location and a third store planned for the Las Vegas Valley. Locally, it follows the recent reopening of Summerville Grill on St. Paul Boulevard, part of a broader wave of restaurant activity reshaping the town's dining scene as new neighborhoods fill in along Highway 176 and Highway 17A.
