.One of the early Wayback Burgers locations has closed, at least temporarily, as the locally founded chain reduces its footprint in the state where it was founded.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A “closed for renovations” sign was on the door of the DuPont Highway location in New Castle.
The company still has a half a dozen locations in Delaware but has shuttered some franchise sites in the Wilmington area, Bear and in Elkton, MD.
In all, Wayback has about 100 stores, with a few overseas locations.
The burger spot was founded as Jake’s about a quarter of a century ago on Ogletown Road, just outside Newark. That location remains in operation, along with a store on south Main Street, formerly Elkton Road in Newark.
The company gradually expanded to the New Castle location and other low-cost sites that emphasized the food over the decor.
The company was later purchased and moved its headquarters to Connecticut as an aggressive expansion program got under way.
The name of the company was later changed to Wayback Burgers as the company worked to evoke an image of an old-fashioned hamburger spot, an approach popularized by the Johnny Rockets chain. Johnny Rockets was recently combined under joint management wth the Friendly’s chain.
While the hamburgers, shakes, and fries have not changed, the menu has been expanded to include burgers with several patties, hot dogs and specialty burgers.
In other areas, Wayback franchisees have rolled out food court, nontraditional, upscale stand-alone locations and other formats not seen in Delaware.
Earlier this year, there was talk of the Wayback launching a public offering of stock.
Jakes faces a crowded market that includes the Popular Five Guys chain, as well as Steak ‘n Shake, a Midwest and Sun Belt chain that took over a Wayback location in New Jersey.
