Bright Leaf Drive In

Wendy's closes in West Smithfield

SMITHFIELD - Fans of Frosties and square hamburgers on the west side of town now have to drive farther to satisfy their cravings. Wendy's has closed its restaurant on West Market Street in front of Food Lion. The fast-food chain's other Smithfield eatery, on North Bright Leaf Boulevard, remains open. Wendy's spokeswoman Kitty Munger said the closing was part of the company's agreement with a new franchise owner. That owner, The Carlisle Corp. of Memphis, Tenn., is considering whether it will reopen the restaurant, Munger said. Aside from the word "closed" on the restaurant's marquee, nothing suggests the eatery is gone for good. Flowers still adorn the tables, and advertisements for a new salad remain on the windows. Chance Carlisle, a vice president with the company, said the restaurant had lower profits than others and had suffered storm damage that had not been repaired. "It was an underperforming restaurant that needed major capital investment to meet brand standards," Carlisle said. "It's a restaurant that needed a break for awhile." Carlisle said his company will likely open a second Wendy's in Smithfield in the future, but he isn't sure where it will be. "Smithfield clearly is an area that we believe can have multiple Wendy's restaurants, if not three or more," he said. Most employees of the closed restaurant are now working at other area Wendy's locations, Carlisle said. "We didn't offer employment to everyone, but we took as many as we could," he said. According to property records, Allied Wenco International Inc. of Mocksville sold its three Johnston County Wendy's restaurants on June 23 to The Carlisle Corp. Allied Wenco owned and operated the two Smithfield locations and a third restaurant on N.C. 210 near McGee's Crossroads. The West Smithfield location carried the lowest sales price. The North Bright Leaf Wendy's property sold for $1.1 million, deed records show. While the West Market Street property was larger, it sold for $731,500. The opening of the Booker Dairy Road Extension this fall will put West Smithfield residents closer to the remaining Wendy's. And the closure of the U.S. 70 Business bridge in 2012 will isolate the west side from downtown. A car dealership next door to the now-shuttered Wendy's recently moved to U.S. 301 near the Smithfield-Selma line. The West Smithfield eatery is the second Wendy's in Johnston County to close this year. The chain also shuttered its location on U.S. 70 Business near Walmart in Clayton.

Commercial Property For | Bright Leaf Drive-In Property Sold

The Bright Leaf Drive-In property has a new owner.

Carolina Carports Inc. acquired the 5.5-acre site final week, according to Bracky Rogers of Rogers Realty Auction Co. Inc. of Mount Airy, that had listed the blurb property for sale. “It is closed and they have a help to it,” Rogers mentioned Wednesday of the transaction.

Heather Smith, the broad executive of Carolina Carports, mentioned Wednesday the firm skeleton to immigrate an existing trickery to the property.

“We’re going to pierce our sell operations there,” Smith said. They immediately inhabit space adjoining to McDonald’s on U.S. 52 not far from the site of the renouned drive-in, that closed final year after 55 years of operation.

But the merger won’t indispensably spell the complete passing of the outside theater, that was a of the couple of services of its sort outstanding in this segment of the country. Its large shade still stands after having used to black in Mar 2010.

“We did in fact buy the shade in add-on to the property,” the Carolina Carports authorized explained. That represents an endeavor by the firm to persist a key pitch of the drive-in’s bequest in the community. “We unquestionably comprehend the Bright Leaf Drive-In is a staple,” Smith said.

Yet how the shade might be incorporated in to Carolina Carports’ skeleton to revamp the site to agree with a sell sales space for its steel products waste a mystery. “I can’t say if the shade is going to sojourn or not,” Smith acknowledged, explaining that skeleton aren’t entirely created at this point.

Rogers, the real estate firm official, mentioned the formerly owner, Daisy Simmons, is gratified by the sale and the probability that a few heirloom of the drive-in will stay. He mentioned Carolina Carports officials have positive him that the property will be softened and be a “real attractive” segment of Mount Airy’s business community.

Simmons’ nephew, the late Don Davis, was a longtime user of the Bright Leaf Drive-In. Simmons has explained that she was getting up in years and no longer longed for to attend to the responsibilities surrounding tenure of what is deliberate a of the most-valuable pieces of blurb real estate in the city.

Rogers mentioned the package sole at a cost “a small reduction than the taxation value.” It is valued at $767,720, according to the Surry County Tax Department.

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