Melody Matulewic and Scott Hatchett have spent years running successful car dealerships in Wichita, but now they’re trying something completely different. The longtime business partners are opening the city’s first Newk’s Eatery after stumbling upon the brand during Hatchett’s trip to Arkansas. A casual lunch stop turned into a new business idea, and soon they were deep into the process of bringing the fast-casual concept to Kansas.

Neither Matulewic nor Hatchett had experience in the restaurant world, but they felt confident bringing their business background into a new space. What stood out to them about Newk’s was not only the food but the structure behind the brand. Coming from an industry where they often had to create their own systems, they appreciated how Newk’s offered strong support and clear processes to help franchisees succeed.

Now set to open in November in a busy Wichita neighborhood, the two are focused on building a great team and introducing locals to a restaurant they believe really fills a gap in the market. They’re already thinking about future locations, but their goal for now is to make this first one a success and bring something new and exciting to their community.

1851 Franchise spoke with Matulewic and Hatchett about their franchising journey with Newk’s. Here’s what they had to say:

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Scott Hatchett: We own automotive dealerships — Buick, GMC, Hyundai and Genesis — which are also franchises. We still do that. And Melody had been joking with me for at least the last two years about opening a restaurant. We were specifically talking about a pizza place because the pizza in Wichita, Kansas, isn’t great. At first it was kind of a joke. We weren’t serious, but we did reach out to a few different franchises. Then one day, my wife and I went into a Newk’s in Bentonville, Arkansas, by accident. We didn’t even plan to be there. We were replacing appliances at our lakehouse and stopped to eat. The experience was really good. Melody called while we were in the car, and my wife told her, “You should ditch the pizza idea and look into this place called Newk’s.”

Melody Matulewic: I asked, “What is that?” They told me about it and described the menu. I looked it up, sent an email about franchising, and they got back to me the next day. We had a quick call and some follow-up conversations. We admitted we weren’t restaurant people, but we run successful companies. At the end of the day, it’s about people, processes and profitability — and we know how to manage that.

Hatchett: That was in late January. My wife and I went back to Newk’s a couple more times after that. Melody hadn’t even tried it until April, when we all went to Discovery Day.

Matulewic: Right. We went down to Mississippi, met the whole team, and spent the day with them. We were very impressed with the turnkey nature of the business and the processes they have in place. We’re very process-driven in our industry, and sometimes we have to build those processes ourselves. I remember Scott asking, “Are we really going to do this?” And I said, “This is just like the car business, but with food.”

Hatchett: You break it down to what needs to happen each day and how your store needs to perform.

Matulewic: Newk’s has answers to our questions, and checklists for everything. It’s made us feel confident that, as businesspeople, we can do this. Wichita is actually where Pizza Hut, Freddy’s and White Castle all started. There’s a strong history of franchising here, and we think we’ve got a great formula: fast, fresh food in a great neighborhood.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Hatchett: I have friends who franchise restaurants and other businesses. Some have had great experiences. So far, Newk’s has been great to work with. They want you to start with a positive customer experience, and we completely align with that. We’re not operational yet, but if the first store does as well as we think it can, we’ll absolutely look to grow.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Matulewic: Like I said, it was a happy accident when Scott and Jenny went. What stood out was that it wasn’t a known brand in Kansas. Most people we’ve talked to here haven’t heard of it. But once they look it up, they’re impressed with the menu and the look of it. When Scott saw the words “soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizza,” he knew it had something for everyone.

Hatchett: I liked how responsive they were when we reached out. But I was also genuinely impressed with the restaurant and the food. It was all solid. There’s something for everyone — you can eat healthy, or you can indulge.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Matulewic: We really want to make this successful. Newk’s corporate has been very supportive. We’re focused on hiring the right people and building a culture similar to what we have in our dealerships. In terms of growth, we're looking at opening three stores within five years — hopefully sooner — all in Wichita. Then we’ll consider expanding to larger cities in Kansas.

Hatchett: A lot of the restaurants in Wichita are just okay. I think we have a real chance to bring better food and a better customer experience. If we can make money doing that, it’ll allow us to expand. Ideally, we’d open a second location next year, and maybe a third within another six to twelve months. But that all depends on how profitable the first one is.

1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?

Matulewic: I just think that no matter what industry you’re in, it comes down to your people and your processes. That drives profitability. Newk’s has been a great partner — transparent, supportive and responsive. We even spoke with the CEO a couple of weeks into the process, which was a great sign. No red flags. It just felt right.

Hatchett: I think Newk’s is a great fit for us, and we’re a great fit for them. We already understand what it takes to succeed in business. When you combine that with their systems, I think we’ve got something special.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?

Matulewic: Do your research. Talk to other franchisees. We’ve had help from a mentor in Louisiana who’s been in the restaurant business for over 20 years. Also, understand that you won’t always get a profitability guarantee from corporate, so do your due diligence and break down the numbers. It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, but there’s real opportunity. And with Newk’s — the fast, fresh model and quality of the food — we believe it's worth the investment.

Hatchett: The more someone understands customer experience, the better they’ll do. If you’ve never worked in a customer-facing industry, it’s going to be a challenge. But if you have, you’ll be in a much better position.

About Newk’s Eatery

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, Newk’s Eatery is a fast-casual restaurant brand known for its signature hospitality and scratch-made meals. With nearly 100 locations across 12 states, Newk’s offers a diverse menu of hand-crafted salads, sandwiches, soups, and pizzas — all made in-house with fresh, premium ingredients and without the use of fryers or microwaves. Guests can also enjoy convenient grab-and-go options and mobile ordering through the Newk’s app, available on Google Play and the App Store, for curbside, in-store pickup, or delivery.

Newk’s has earned national recognition from Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, and Entrepreneur, and continues to be celebrated for food quality and guest loyalty. To learn more, visit Newks.com, join the Newk’s Rewards program, or follow along on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. For franchise opportunities, visit franchise.newks.com.