Wendy’s replacement may come by year’s end
Staff writer
Wendy’s departure from Hillsboro left a void — and a vacant property — in November, 2024.
That void may be filled before the year is up.
56 Family Restaurant of Galva is in talks with a group of local investors to open a branch on the property at 812 E D St.
“We are talking with the people that own the building,” restaurant owner Diane Hoard said. “I’m just going to say at this point that we’re very optimistic.”
56 Family is just off US-56. It offers a variety of diner food — similar to Florence’s Town and Country Café, but with a larger menu.
It is a popular haunt for locals and those passing through, boasting 4.7 out of 5 stars on Google Reviews and 2,400 followers on Facebook.
Darrell Driggers, part of the investment group that owns the Hillsboro property, declined to provide the name of the investment group.
“It’s a group of local businessmen,” he said.
Appraisal records list the building as owned by “Sunrise Leasing LLC,” the mailing address for which is the same as Driggers’.
Driggers confirmed that 56 Family Restaurant was interested in opening a branch on the property. He declined to say whether there were other suitors.
“If we get one, we’ll be lucky,” he said. “In a small town like this, it’s hard to put anything together.”
Hoard said going to Hillsboro would be a new and exciting experience.
“We’ve never done business there, but over the years, we’ve met a lot of people who have come from Hillsboro,” she said. “We drove through there last night, and I said, ‘this is a pretty nice town.’”
If everything goes well, Hoard said, her restaurant could have a branch on the property later this year.