Syracuse-based Action Cos. has reached an agreement with QSL Franchising Corp. to open 16 Quaker Steak & Lube restaurants in Upstate New York and New England beginning early next year. Jacob Wright, president and CEO of Action Cos., said the company plans to open one of the motorsports-themed casual dining restaurants in Rochester in March and has made purchase...
Action Cos. opened this Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant off Interstate 690 in Van Buren in 2008.Syracuse-based Action Cos. has reached an agreement with QSL Franchising Corp. to open 16 Quaker Steak & Lube restaurants in Upstate New York and New England beginning early next year.
Jacob Wright, president and CEO of Action Cos., said the company plans to open one of the motorsports-themed casual dining restaurants in Rochester in March and has made purchase offers on properties in Albany, Watertown and Portland, Maine, for restaurants in those cities.
Other planned sites in New York include Saratoga Springs, Utica and Newburgh. Sites under consideration in New England include Boston; Springfield, Mass.; Hartford, Conn.; Providence, R.I.; and Manchester, N.H.
Action Cos. owns and operates the Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant off Interstate 690 in Van Buren, just west of Syracuse. The restaurant, which opened in 2008, employs 100 people.
“We have had great success at our Syracuse location and believe this brand offers the most unique and memorable experience in casual dining,” said Wright.
He said Action plans to triple its office space to three floors of the State Tower Building in Syracuse to support its expansion plans. The expansion could create about 25 jobs at its headquarters, he said.
Jacob Wright, president and CEO of Action Cos., stands in the lobby of the company's Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant in Van Buren. In addition to the expansion with Action Cos., Quaker Steak & Lube said it plans to open at least 10 more locations across the country in 2011.
Based in Sharon, Pa., Quaker Steak’s restaurants feature race cars suspended from the ceilings, and motorcycles, Corvettes and gas station memorabilia decorating the walls.
The company’s first restaurant opened in 1974 in an abandoned gas station in Sharon. It began franchising in 1997 and has 35 restaurants in 14 states and Toronto.
Contact Rick Moriarty at rmoriarty@syracuse.com or (315) 470-3148.