East Coast burger chain returning to Colorado Springs area

Mar. 16—Wayback is making a comeback in the Pikes Peak region.

East Coast-based Wayback Burgers, a fast-casual hamburger chain that operated a location in Colorado Springs several years ago, will re-enter the local market with at least four new restaurants.

A franchisee will open Wayback's first new location this summer, possibly in July, in Woodland Park, west of the Springs, said Patrick Conlin, Wayback's president. The restaurant will occupy a 2,032-square-foot space in the City Market-anchored Gold Hill shopping center at U.S. 24 and Colorado 67.

A second franchisee plans to open three more Wayback restaurants in the Colorado Springs area, Conlin said; the first might debut this fall and the others would follow within six months to a year. Those locations still are being determined, he said.

Founded in Delaware in 1991 as Jake's Hamburgers and now based in Connecticut, the chain grew to 10 restaurants over 17 years and began to add franchised locations, according to its website.

In 2009, it rebranded itself as Jake's Wayback Burgers and now is known as just Wayback Burgers. It operates in 35 states, with more than 170 locations nationally and internationally, according to a news release. An Englewood location, in suburban Denver, has been open for seven to eight years, Conlin said.

Wayback Burgers' first Colorado Springs location opened in a north-side shopping center in 2014 but closed soon after. A franchisee at that time suffered health issues after the restaurant opened, which led to its premature closing, Conlin said.

But Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region remained attractive because of their demographics, including strong household incomes and a growing population, Conlin said.

Meanwhile, franchisee Claudia Polczer-Lauzon and her husband, Rob, were moving to Woodland Park, "fell in love with the area" and contacted Wayback about becoming restaurant operators and opening a location in the mountain town, he said.

Wayback, Conlin said, is a "better burger" concept that focuses on quality food and a nostalgic way of doing business.

All of its burgers are made from fresh, never frozen, ground beef, and food is prepared when it's ordered, he said.

"It's not pre-made, it's not sitting under a heat lamp," Conlin said.

Restaurants have 30 to 50 indoor seats, and pick-up and third-party delivery options. Unlike many chains, most Wayback locations don't offer drive-thru service, Conlin said.

The optimum time for customers to receive their food after ordering is eight minutes, he said. As a result, a drive-thru would mean motorists would have to order, pull over and park for several minutes until their food is carried out to them, which isn't desirable, Conlin said.

Wayback's menu, he said, is more diverse than some of its competitors. It features several varieties of hamburgers, including plant-based Impossible burgers; chicken sandwiches and tenders; hot dogs; cheesesteaks; fries, onion rings, tater tots and fried pickles; fountain drinks; and hand-dipped milk shakes that use real ice cream.

Wayback's theme, embodied in franchisee training and customer support employees, is a "nostalgic feeling" and a "level of service that you used to get years ago that really sets you apart," Conlin said. "We know our food is great, but that friendliness and that caring and making that a connection with the guest when they come into the restaurant is what really sets us apart.

"When the guest comes in and orders at the (point of service), we ask them their name," he said. "That's how we deliver the food to their table; we don't give you a number, which is very impersonal. We walk the food out to your table and say ... 'here's your double bacon cheeseburger and your Oreo milkshake.'"

Wayback re-enters the Colorado Springs-area market at a time when several popular brands have established a local presence.

In addition to familiar fast-food, fast-casual and gourmet brands such as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Red Robin and Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, California-based In-N-Out Burger and Whataburger of Texas now have several Springs-area locations.

Conlin, however, said Wayback is confident about its food and customer service and has done battle with competitors in other markets.

"We've had Five Guys and burger restaurants open up across the street from us," he said. "People want to try the new guy in town, but then they've always come back to us, and it hasn't hurt us anywhere where that's happened. We're typically lower-priced than the other guys in the better burger segment. That's kind of our pricing strategy. It works well for us."