LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In celebration of its first Indiana location hosting a grand opening in Lebanon on Wednesday, Savvy Sliders also unveiled plans for its second and third locations, to be built in Tippecanoe County.
The Michigan-based fast-food chain focused on sliders opened its first store in 2018. Since then, it has expanded into Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana and now Indiana.
Here's what we know about the two planned stores for Tippecanoe County.
Where will Savvy Sliders open in Lafayette?
A Lafayette store is planned for 2862 Old U.S. 231 S., according to Savvy Sliders' website.
Mike Bauer, a Lafayette-based business owner who owns 22 Subway stores across Lafayette and Terre Haute, is the man behind bringing the Michigan-born chain to the Hoosier state.
Where will Savvy Sliders open in West Lafayette?
The second store in Tippecanoe County will be seated on the other side of the Wabash River at 1060 Sagamore Parkway W. in West Lafayette.
What made Bauer decide to bring Savvy Sliders to Indiana?
Bauer said he'd never heard of Savvy Sliders until he received a cold call from the chain's headquarters.
"They'd told me they'd heard about me as a franchise owner and were interested in having a conversation with me about their brand. Being a business person, I'll never turn down a conversation, so I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with them," Bauer said. "I checked out their social media pages and thought the concept was pretty interesting."
After that initial conversation, Bauer said he and his girlfriend planned a weekend trip to Michigan, visiting nearly two dozen Savvy Sliders locations. Upon witnessing the stores' build-out models, trying the restaurant's variety of menu options and meeting several employees, Bauer said he realized Savvy Sliders was everything he'd been looking for in a restaurant.
With confirmed locations in Lebanon, Lafayette and West Lafayette, Bauer said he has about five other locations around Indiana he is eyeing.
Bauer said he was intentional in the location choices for his restaurants, particularly the Old U.S. 231 location, knowing firsthand the need for more restaurants in that area.
"That is a heavy residential area, and they shouldn't have to drive all the way out to the interstate or to Purdue's campus to get a bite to eat. Having a Subway location already on that side of town and having my offices over there, I've experienced it myself," Bauer said. "I get what national chains are doing when they construct plans to build stores over in those areas, but I am always trying to find ways to serve this community. I'm local, and I'm here in this community, and I want to be where my people need me."
What is Savvy Sliders' food and business concept?
These aren't your typical sliders, Bauer said, which appealed to him.
Each slider burger is about 2 ounces, Bauer said, which is on the larger side for a slider. Using fresh, never frozen, meat, battering and marinating chicken made to order, Bauer said everything in a Savvy Sliders restaurant is made to order.
One of the other major appeals to the chain, Bauer said, was Savvy Sliders' "More 2 Love" charitable foundation. Having the philanthropic wing of the business was a similar draw as Subway's model with the "Subway Cares Foundation."
"This gives us the opportunity to continue helping those in our community that we serve every day," Bauer said. "With this philanthropic arm, we can do things like hosting parties for disadvantaged kids, back-to-school giveaways, and listening to other ways our community needs us. Being local is very important to me, and that's what Savvy Sliders offers."
Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal and Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ellison_writes.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Savvy Sliders is opening two locations in Tippecanoe County
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