Checkers set to expand in 2011

TAMPA — Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc. will continue to expand its network of restaurant franchise locations over the next several years. Today, the Tampa-based firm announced that it had signed agreements with four franchisees to develop 12 new locations in the Northeast U.S.

At least four new stores will go up this year: one in New York City, two in Detroit, and one in Philadelphia. Additional locations are slated for New York City and Philadelphia, as well as two others for a town outside Baltimore.

Checkers currently operates more than 800 restaurant locations throughout the United States. Going forward, the company is targeting a short list of major metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Charlotte, and Orlando.