For Ole Miss alumni, Oxford is more than the place where they went to school. It is Saturday mornings before kickoff, meals with friends, afternoons on the Square and the relationships that make people feel connected to Mississippi long after graduation.

It is also where one of the Southeast’s most enduring fast-casual restaurant brands got its start.

Newk’s Eatery opened its first restaurant on University Avenue in Oxford, Mississippi, in 2004. More than two decades later, the concept has grown from that original Oxford restaurant into a nearly 100-unit franchise system, carrying a distinctly Mississippi-born approach to food and hospitality into communities across the country.

For Ole Miss alumni considering business ownership, that history creates an unusual opportunity: the chance to build with a brand that may already feel like home.

A Business Story With Deep Ole Miss Roots

Newk’s connection to the University of Mississippi goes much deeper than geography. Co-founder Don Newcomb studied chemistry at Ole Miss before attending dental school at the University of Tennessee. He eventually returned to Oxford to practice dentistry, later becoming an entrepreneur and restaurateur alongside his son, Chris Newcomb.

The Newcomb family’s restaurant story first took shape in Oxford with McAlister’s Deli, which the team eventually sold. Newk’s followed in 2004, with the first location opening on University Avenue.

That Oxford restaurant was built around ideas that still define Newk’s today: scratch-made recipes, premium ingredients, an open kitchen and hospitality designed to make guests feel welcome.

The Newcomb family’s connection to Ole Miss continued outside the restaurant business as well. Don and Emily Newcomb established the Trott Family Scholarship Endowment through the University of Mississippi Foundation to help students overcome financial barriers to attending the university.

For alumni, that history makes Newk’s more than another restaurant concept entering the Southeast. It is a Mississippi entrepreneurial story that grew up alongside the Ole Miss community.

From Knowing the Brand to Owning the Brand

That familiarity can be particularly valuable in franchising. Many prospective franchisees spend months trying to understand whether a restaurant concept will resonate with consumers. Ole Miss graduates who spent time in Oxford may have encountered Newk’s from the other side of the counter first, as guests.

Longtime multi-unit franchisee Wes Williams has seen how those personal connections can eventually lead to ownership. An Ole Miss graduate interested in bringing the concept to Jonesboro, Arkansas, first introduced Williams to Newk's. The opportunity did not move forward at the time, but Newk’s eventually came back onto Williams’ radar. In 2013, he and his partners opened their first restaurant.

Today, Williams operates ten Newk’s locations across Arkansas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma and plans additional growth.

“When my son played travel baseball, we often found ourselves eating at Newk’s between games,” Williams said. “When you’re with a big group, everyone has different tastes, and I noticed that the Newk’s menu had something for everyone. It has a universal appeal, which I thought made it a great fit.”

That transition from customer familiarity to business ownership illustrates an important part of the Newk’s opportunity. Franchisees are not being asked to sell something completely foreign to the communities where the brand already has recognition. They are building on more than 20 years of restaurant history and a loyal following concentrated throughout the Southeast.

“The amount of regulars that come into Newk’s on a daily basis is outrageous,” said longtime franchisee Todd Jackson, who operates 12 restaurants across Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. “Once you get them in the door, they’ll want to come back.”

A Mississippi Brand Built to Grow Beyond Mississippi

Today, the Newk’s brand combines its food-first heritage with a franchise model designed to improve restaurant-level economics. Newk’s has reduced its traditional prototype from roughly 4,000 square feet to as little as 2,800 square feet, helping operators reduce occupancy and development costs while maintaining the dine-in experience.

Restaurants can be developed in inline, end-cap and drive-thru configurations, giving franchisees additional flexibility when evaluating real estate.

Newk’s also benefits from a broad menu spanning salads, sandwiches, soups and pizzas, along with a growing catering business. The concept operates primarily across lunch and early dinner, providing franchisees with a simpler two-daypart operating structure.

“We’re at nearly 100 restaurants, 29 of which are company-owned, so we’re making marketing, hiring and real estate decisions just like our franchisees,” said Chris Cheek, chief development officer. “Our goal has always been to improve unit economics so we become more attractive for current franchisees to build more and to attract new ones.”

Today, Newk’s is part of FSC Franchise Co., alongside The Brass Tap and Beef ‘O’ Brady’s. That larger franchise platform gives operators access to shared resources, buying power, business coaching and more than 350 hours of training while Newk’s maintains its own identity.

Bringing an Oxford-Born Brand Into the Next Community

For Ole Miss alumni who have built careers elsewhere in Mississippi or throughout the Southeast, the Newk’s opportunity can offer another kind of connection to Oxford: taking something that originated there and introducing it to another community.

That does not mean Newk’s is looking simply for investors with an Ole Miss diploma.

Leadership is intentional about finding franchisees willing to become active local operators, build strong teams and protect the culture that has sustained the brand for more than two decades.

“What we look for really is a cultural fit,” Cheek said. “Some level of restaurant experience is important, but even more than that is someone who’s comfortable taking a new brand to a market and driving awareness. Not just with customers but with landlords and the community.”

Williams makes the same point from the franchisee perspective.

“Franchising gives you a solid starting point, but it’s not something you can just put money into and expect it to run itself,” he said. “You have to show up, make decisions and work hard.”

For the right entrepreneur, that work can become the foundation for something much larger. Williams is continuing to expand his organization, while Jackson has spent nearly 20 years building a 12-unit portfolio and has ambitions to grow further.

“You’re building generational wealth for your family when you’ve built over 10 restaurants,” Cheek said.

From University Avenue to What Comes Next

There is something fitting about Newk’s looking to the Ole Miss community as it enters its next phase of growth. Oxford is where the first restaurant opened. Ole Miss helped shape the story of one of its founders. Mississippi remains part of the brand’s identity. Today, a restaurant that started on University Avenue has grown into an established franchise system, with opportunities for entrepreneurs to carry that legacy into new markets.

For Ole Miss alumni who have spent their careers building teams, managing businesses, investing in their communities or simply thinking about what ownership could look like, Newk’s offers the chance to explore entrepreneurship through a brand with a familiar starting point.

As Jackson put it, what attracted him to the tiny restaurant company nearly two decades ago remains true today. “I met with the founders, tried the food and you could just tell it was something different,” he said. “That’s still what defines us.”

For some Ole Miss alumni, the next visit to Newk’s may be about more than lunch. It could be the beginning of ownership.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/newks-eatery.