Hardee's opens third Tallahassee site
TaMaryn Waters
Democrat staff writer
What do the area Hardee's restaurants have in common?
Beef, biscuits and blood brothers.
Hardee's is expanding its Tallahassee presence with the opening of a third location, Victory Garden Drive between Papa John's Pizza and O'Reilly Auto Parts on Apalachee Parkway.
Dan Ponder Jr., the elder brother, and Ernest Ponder are local franchisees and closer than thick bread and melted cheese on a charbroiled Frisco burger.
Before they built a local fast food empire, the Ponders worked side by side in the peanut business with their father, Dan Ponder Sr. They've been in the Hardee's business for 31 years. They even live next door to one other in Donalsonville, Georgia, where they opened their first Hardee's restaurant.
"We fought like cats and dogs like all brothers do," Dan Ponder, 61, recalled as he gingerly smiled. "We wound up living next door to each other in a town we didn't grow up in."
Ernest Ponder, 58, said they have very different personalities. He's the "just do it" type while his older brother is pragmatic and reserved.
The brothers own Hardee's locations in Crawfordville and Quincy. They also own the Lake Jackson location and recently opened a new location closer to town on North Monroe Street near the Northwood Plaza. The brothers have identified another site for a fourth Tallahassee location at the intersection of Capital Circle Northeast and Miccosukee Road.
"We'll build as many as the city will support," said Dan Ponder, who also is the mayor of Donalsonville and publisher of the Donalsonville News. "We (also) would like to build one on the west side of town."
Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.