Jake's Wayback Burger Celebrates Grand Opening

Looks like Ronald and the King now have a little more competition in town.

Najaf Riaz, owner of the new located at 5288 Sunrise Highway, holds the distinction of being the very first owner of the new fast-food franchise in New York state.

Riaz did what's known as a "soft launch" in August, quietly opening his doors and getting his feet wet in regards to running the operation before the big ballyhoo of a Grand Opening ceremony, which was finally held on a recent weekday afternoon.

"We just wanted to make sure the staff was 100% well trained and that they could handle a rush before making some noise that we're here," Riaz said.

Festive balloons lined the tables, and free samples of burgers, fries, and milkshakes were made available to fill the tummies of all present.

A recent franchise started in Newark, Delaware, Jake's Wayback Burger plans on opening 175 stores in the next year. They currently have 24 locations in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Riaz's.

Riaz, who has owned a Burger King in the past, said what attracted him to a Jake's franchise was the low cost of getting on-board.

"Let's say you invest $1,000,000 in a restaurant, and it only does a $1,000,000 in sales on average a year," he said. "You can do something like that, or, with Jake's, you can invest only $250,000 and do $2,000,000 a year."

"The one thing about Jake's Wayback that they have a lot of products that I liked," Riaz added. "Milkshakes, burgers, fries...and the prices in all their stores for customers were very reasonable. That's one of the reasons I chose Jake's."

Robert Carlo was enjoying a cheeseburger with a side of onion rings.

"It's a pretty darn good burger," he said. "They don't rip you off on the portions, either. It's good stuff."

However, in this tough economy, any new business owner has their work cut out for them if they hope to prosper in their new venture.

Case in point: Jake's Wayback Burger happens to be occupying the very same space of a recently failed Fatburger franchise. Considering that Riaz is basically opening the same exact type of business as the store's previous tenant, why does he expect to succeed in that location when history has decisively said otherwise?

"The thing about Fatburger is that they were the only one on the Island," he said. "It was hard for them, or any business, to be by themselves out here, to survive. We have many more locations that are opening up on Long Island, which I think is going to help us with marketing, and it's going to help everyone know what Jake's Wayback Burger's going to be."

Long Island is due to have two more Jake's Wayback locations by January, 2011: one in East Meadow and one in East Northport. One is due to open in Brooklyn as well.

Gillian Maffeo, marketing director for Jake's Franchising, LLC, was on-hand for the Grand Opening.

"We're really excited about Najaf opening this location," she said. "Now we're here with the , blessing the whole restaurant and getting the word out."

Brad Banks and his wife Jessica were busy downing a few burgers before picking their children up from school.

"This is definitely one of the better hamburger places I've been to," he said. "They have very solid food, and I wish them well."

12th District Assembly member Joseph S. Saladino (R-Massapequa) came to give his support to yet another new business opening in the area.

"I'm thrilled that another business is opening in our community," he said. "It signals that, economically, we're getting into a situation where things are finally getting better and better. Every business that opens, that means more jobs, and more economic stimulation in our community, and I hope this business will be prosperous for many years to come."

Phyllis N. Doria, president of the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce, is already a fan of Jake's Wayback Burger.

"The food is good," she said. "All they have to do is get the word out, and hopefully the people are going to flock through the doors. I wish them a lot of luck, and I'll probably be eating here myself between jobs."