Zaxby's has been approved for its first St. Louis-area restaurant, and it's landing in Wentzville with a familiar rival staring back at it. The new location will sit north of Interstate 70 on Wentzville Parkway in St. Charles County, directly across the street from a Chick-fil-A, a pairing that sets up a literal face-off between two chains frequently compared for their chicken sandwiches and tenders.
The Wentzville approval is described as one of the first locations under a development agreement covering seven stores across the St. Louis and Columbia markets, according to the St. Louis Business Journal. The franchise group behind the push, Triple Z Holdings, signed that agreement with Zaxby's to bring seven stores to the St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri, regions, as reported by KSDK. No opening date has been set for the Wentzville restaurant, according to First Alert 4.
Triple Z Holdings includes a group of University of Missouri alumni, KSDK reports. Zaxby's officials, however, said the group would like to remain anonymous and declined to identify the members behind the holding company, per the same report.
A Statewide Push Years in the Making
The Wentzville site is part of a larger plan to bring multiple Zaxby's restaurants to the St. Louis area, building on an agreement reported January 30, 2026, when Zaxby's signed a seven-restaurant deal with Triple Z Holdings to bring the Atlanta-based chain to St. Louis and Columbia in the coming years, the Business Journal noted at the time.
Just how big that footprint eventually gets depends on who you ask. The Business Journal reports the chain sees potential for 15 to 20 restaurants in the region, while Zaxby's franchise development director told Fox 2 Now the region could support as many as 15 locations over time if a franchise agreement is finalized. Either figure would mark a dramatic jump from the chain's current Missouri presence, where the closest Zaxby's restaurants to St. Louis are currently in Kansas City and Springfield, according to Fox 2 Now.
Betting on Chicken Over Burgers
Zaxby's is often seen as a direct competitor to Chick-fil-A, and the Wentzville site directly across from one of its rivals underscores that rivalry. The chain's expansion into Missouri also reflects a broader industry trend that Fox 2 Now's reporting captured directly: the franchise development director described it as part of an overall migration in this country from burger to chicken.
The Missouri push builds on multi-unit franchise deals the chain has struck elsewhere, including locations in Illinois and Ohio, according to Shopping Center Business. Reported figures for the chain's overall footprint vary slightly by outlet, with one count putting it at more than 970 locations across 18 states and another at more than 970 locations across 17 states, but either way the chain has been expanding aggressively into new regions in recent years.
For now, Wentzville residents have a confirmed address and a built-in rivalry to watch, even without a firm timeline for when the doors will open. With six more restaurants reportedly planned for the St. Louis and Columbia markets, the Wentzville location looks like just the opening move in a much larger rollout across the state.
