COVINGTON, Ga. — Covington Town Center is seeing further growth with the opening of its first hotel and a fast-growing restaurant chain’s newest eatery and the announcement of a convenience store chain’s planned third Newton County location.
QuikTrip plans to open a new store near the corner of Alcovy and City Pond roads by early 2024, said Aisha Jefferson-Smith, QuikTrip’s corporate communications manager.
“QuikTrip is excited to bring our signature commitment to quality and friendly customer service, and 20 new, good-paying jobs, to Covington,” she said.
“With over 24,000 employees nationwide and continuously ranked on the list of ‘Best Companies to Work For’ for over a decade, we are excited to further expand our growing presence and workforce in Covington, Ga.,” she said. “We look forward to opening later this year or early next year.”
However, she did not say if it would affect operations of either of its existing Newton County locations on U.S. Hwy. 278 near downtown Covington, or John R. Williams Highway (Ga. Hwy. 142) near I-20.
Meanwhile, Residence Inn by Marriott officially opened its new hotel at 12120 Town Center Blvd. Thursday, March 23, with a ribbon cutting.
The hotel, which opened for business in January, includes six floors. It offers 123 suites with full kitchens; outdoor swimming pool and patio with grills; putting green and fitness center.
It also is pet friendly with up to two pets of up to 50 pounds allowed with a non-refundable fee, according to its website.
General Manager Randy Money said earlier this year, “We look forward to developing long-term relationships with the many businesses in the area and are excited to welcome guests from all over the world who wish to explore Covington’s parks, natural scenery and movie production world.”
For more information, visit https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/atlvr-residence-inn-atlanta-covington/overview/.
The newest restaurant to open in the multi-use development is WNB Factory which recently opened its latest location in the 14,000-square-foot retail center adjacent to Publix supermarket in Covington Town Center.
The new location at 12651 Town Center Drive, Suite 113, is the chain’s 64th store in Georgia and 82nd overall, said Robert Bales of WNB Factory.
It follows Panda Express as the first two restaurant chains to open in the multi-use development.
Bales said the Town Center location is somewhat different from its typical store because of the inclusion of a drive-up window allowing for pickup of pre-orders.
WNB Factory seeks to set itself apart from other fast-food chains because of its reliance on a “fresh to order” approach, he said.
“You’re going to see a big step up,” he said. “We’re not going to be Wendy’s.”
The 2,000-square-foot location includes a “good-sized dining area” with TVs. Beer and wine will be offered “eventually,” he said.
WNB Factory’s new location is corporate-owned and its second location in Newton County. Its Newton Crossroads restaurant near Kroger on Ga. Hwy. 20 in west Newton has operated since 2018.
Covington Town Center is a $300 million, mixed-use development project spanning 180 acres in an area bounded by Alcovy and City Pond roads and Georgia Hwy. 142 in northeast Covington.
The Foxfield Co. is the master developer and anchors for the project are three national chain hotels and a 63,000-square-foot Publix supermarket. In addition to Residence Inn, other hotels planning locations are Staybridge Suites and Courtyard by Marriott.
A 350-unit apartment complex has opened with an additional 625 townhomes planned.
Walking trails and a 29-acre wildlife habitat also are part of the concept.
