Thank you. I send these words out with nearly every communication. They are always there, and I always mean them. Sometimes, though, those words carry even more weight. This is one of those instances because of the immense gratitude I feel for everyone’s hard work and commitment. Thank you to all our BurgerBusters employees for continuing to weather all the challenges of the last few years. No matter what has confronted you (i.e.  labor shortages, inflation, etc.), you have persevered and enabled our great company to reach new heights. We never steered the ship in the wrong direction through the storms and we were able to do this because of the fortitude and dedication of all our employees. Thank you to all vendors that touch every aspect of our business, whether it is Operations, Facilities, Development, Human Resources, or Accounting. We are indebted to you for your willingness to push through all obstacles, such as global supply chain issues, to help BurgerBusters succeed. Thank you to each member of our Field Operations. We are operating our restaurants better than we have at any point in our company’s 37-year history. Congratulations on receiving an “A” Supreme rating for the entire year of 2023 from Taco Bell Corporate. All of this translates to a better experience for customers and our employees, while also boosting sales. In 2023, BurgerBusters increased sales by approximately 7%, which is on top of double-digit sales increases from the year before. This is an incredible achievement and I look forward to honoring many of you at the Annual Manager Conference in April this year.

Thank you to our Development team as I am proud to share with you all that 2023 was another successful year for the company’s development efforts despite the continued difficulties and delays. Since the last newsletter, we were able to construct and open two new restaurants (Unit No. 40309 Strasburg, VA and Unit No. 40297 Portsmouth, VA), completed six major remodels (Unit No. 4841 Midlothian; VA, Unit No. 15854 Glen Allen, VA; Unit No. 20073 Hagerstown, MD; Unit 20974 King George, VA; Unit 33515 Newport News, VA; and Unit No. 33519 Hampton, VA), finished one midterm remodel (Unit No. 25404 Petersburg, VA), and completed a cooler addition project (Unit No. 18147 Richmond, VA). Currently, there are two new stores under construction (Unit No. 36799 Haymarket, VA and Unit No. 37320 Stafford, VA), three major remodels under construction (Unit No. 5142 Richmond, VA; Unit No. 15359 Virginia Beach, VA; and Unit No. 16062 Culpeper, VA), and one midterm remodel (Unit No. 33520). Over the course of 2024, there are several new stores slated to break ground, along with six successor remodels, and three mid-term remodels. As you can see, even with the ever-increasing complexities in construction, BurgerBusters continues to push forward to ensure the growth and prosperity of the company and first-class facilities for its customers and employees.

Lastly, thank you to each of our Departments throughout the company for all pulling together and making BurgerBusters a company that people want to work for with restaurants that customers want to visit. I am proud of all our leaders throughout the company, but especially those on the BurgerBusters Senior Team. COO Joe Mangano, CFO Greg Rowland, and HR Director Kirk Jester. They continue to push the company forward with their strong leadership and determination. We are lucky to have such exceptional leaders in their fields as part of the BurgerBusters family. To them and to all of you, thank you again!

By: Tassos Paphites
Chairman/CEO