3 Popular Restaurant Chains Eye Bucks Co. Expansion

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Three popular restaurant franchises are looking to expand in Bucks County as the COVID-19 pandemic winds down.

Fast casual restaurant franchise The Halal Guys is looking to bring some Middle Eastern flare to the Village at Newtown Shopping Center. Representatives for the company appeared before the Newtown Township Planning Commission during its virtual Wednesday meeting.

The company is seeking the township's approval to run a restaurant at 2820 S. Eagle Rd, in the space formerly occupied by Melt Shop. The franchise started as a hot dog cart on the streets of New York City in the early 1990s before turning its focus to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Today, it has food carts and storefronts around the world.

Planners recommend the project's approval to the township's board of supervisors, which could green-light the proposal at its next meeting Wednesday, June 23.

Meanwhile, the township's supervisors recently approved plans from Chopt Creative Salad Company to bring a fast casual restaurant to the Village at Newtown Shopping Center, filling a void left by the departure of Saladworks, which closed during the pandemic.

The shopping center also plans to welcome the popular burger chain Five Guys to the township later this year. The restaurant would be the chain's seventh location in Bucks County. As of 2016, Five Guys had over 1,500 locations open worldwide, with 1,500 locations under development.

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