Wilmington Walmart shoppers will soon have new dining options during their next store visit.

Tampa, Fla.-based Checkers plans to open a new restaurant prototype in the Walmart Supercenter at 5226 Sigmon Road in Wilmington on Wednesday.

Jennifer Durham, Checkers vice president of franchise development, said the new Checkers location will be one of only four eateries in the country located inside a Walmart, and the only such prototype in North Carolina. She added similar eateries are located inside three other Walmart Supercenters in Virginia, Mississippi and Florida.

Durham said opening the new location would not affect operations at its drive-thru location at 1901 Oleander Drive.

Meanwhile, Checkers will also have company at its new Walmart location.

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels is opening an eatery inside the same retail unit.

Checkers and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels will take over a space left vacant by Wilmington Health and NextDoor Health, which operated a primary care clinic that closed last year.

Durham said opening the new Checkers in Walmart is part of the firm’s overall plan to grow and expand its brand.

“We love the idea of matching our customers, and we think we have great alignment between Checkers and Walmart,” Durham said. “We were hoping to open by Black Friday, but we will still be able accommodate holiday shoppers during the rest of the holiday shopping season.”

Durham said between 20 and 30 people will be employed in various full-time and part-time positions at the new location. She said with the increased foot traffic and the number of Walmart employees working various shifts at the Sigmon Road location, Checkers officials expect great things from its newest location.

“There is a great amount of foot traffic at the location,” Durham said. “Walmart has been doing food service within its stores for quite a while, and we feel comfortable that the location is going to be very successful.”

And there could be more.

Durham said while the firm does not have plans to open new drive-thru or Walmart eateries in the area the coming months, officials do have plans to expand elsewhere in North Carolina.

“We are actively recruiting franchisees in the Carolinas,” Durham said. “North Carolina is a great place for future growth potential.”  

Checkers currently operates eight restaurants throughout North Carolina. Locally, it used to operate a location at the corner of New Centre Drive and College Road in the University Centre shopping plaza before the restaurant was demolished in 2009 to make way for an AT&T Store.

Durham said opening the Checkers in Walmart allows them to regain a footprint near University of North Carolina Wilmington.

“We are really proud of the work we have done with this franchisee,” she said. “This new concept is part of our overall plan to evolve by going where the consumers are and will help bring value and grow our brand identity.”