Tucked away in the town of Gambrills, Md. is a little piece of heaven called Newk’s Eatery . Owner Tom Saia and his team over at Newk’s have been serving up southern-influenced classics to the Anne Arundel County area since the eatery first opened its doors eight years ago. Mr. Saia had dreams of taking over a franchise opportunity and once he became familiar with the Newk’s Eatery brand, he was blown away by the atmosphere and quality of food.

According to Mr. Saia, what stood out the most about Newk's Eatery was the high caliber ingredients and the welcoming environment of the franchise. “We were first drawn to the Newk’s Eatery franchise because of the open-kitchen feel, the freshness and the quality of the food and, of course, the hospitality-driven culture that all of the Newk’s locations strive to deliver,” he said.

Newk’s Eatery is a fast-casual cafe-style dining franchise that has more than 100 locations throughout the nation. Headquartered in Mississippi, the eatery has become one of the nation’s fastest-growing food chains. Mr. Saia and his team took on the mission of bringing the franchise to Maryland by opening its first location in the state. Mr. Saia chose Gambrills because he wanted to be in an area that has a sense of collaboration and care for its community, even moving his own family closer to the Anne Arundel County area in order to be a part of the day to day operations of the restaurant.

Saia and his team have gone above and beyond to keep the hospitable atmosphere of the franchise alive and well; crew members greet every customer with a smile and a wave. The restaurant is focused on keeping its ingredients fresh and ready to serve by cutting all vegetables in-house and cooking all meals made-to-order – no frozen ingredients! The fresh ingredients and care go into every soup, sandwich, and salad Newk’s Eatery makes. Some of the hot items on the restaurant’s menu are its personal-sized pizzas, loaded potato soup, and the sweet and spicy barbecue steak sandwich (Mr. Saia’s personal favorite).

Newk’s is also focused on giving back to the community through sponsoring numerous fundraisers, events and providing catering for any occasion. The franchise even works hand-in-hand with local schools like Waugh Chapel Elementary School.

“As a team and a company we strive to be very involved in our local schools, churches, or chambers. We work hard to be engaged and give back to the community and our valued guests whenever and wherever possible,” said Saia. “We have a very service-driven culture and live by the motto, ‘if you are not serving a guest, serve someone who is,’ which is seen in everything we do here at Newk’s.”

Mr. Saia hopes to eventually expand this franchise far past Anne Arundel County, but for now, he has his sights on maintaining the company’s hospitality right in his own backyard, as a neighbor and a local spot to welcome every customer that walks through its doors. If you’re in the Gambrills area, be sure to stop in for a meal and a warm smile!