Wilkes Goolsby and his family are expanding their local restaurant by opening a second location, but for him, the most exciting part of the expansion is having a drive-thru.
Goolsby, along with his mom and sister, own Goolsby’s located at 4460 Washington Road, Suite 9 across the street from the Evans Walmart. Founded in 2005, the eatery serves a variety of Southern favorites, including fried chicken, sliced ham, and barbecue ribs.
The new location will be at 3122 Wrightsboro Road, across the street from Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta. At one time, Gary Gibson, owner of Gary’s Hamburgers, had planned to open a new location in that building, but he changed his mind because he couldn’t find enough employees.
“We’ve looked for a standalone building with a drive-thru,” he said. “It’s not about speeding things up; it’s the convenience of not having to get out of your car.”
Unlike other restaurants, at Goolsby’s, both dine-in and take-out customers go through the same line.
Goolsby isn’t sure exactly when the new location will open, but they’re hoping to be ready by March 1.
But he has other reasons to be excited about the expansion.
“It’s far enough away from Evans that it will be a new customer base,” Goolsby said.
Along with new customers, they’ll also have a completely new team of approximately 15-18 employees, but finding good help isn’t always easy.
“In today’s society, finding people to work is always a challenge,” he said.
Before opening the Evans location, his father, the late Richard Goolsby, who died in 2021, owned Goolsby’s in Lincolnton.
For more information, visit goolsbys.com/.