By Katherine Snow Smith, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG — An upstart fast food restaurant is proving it's not chicken. PDQ, which serves up chicken tenders, chicken salads and chicken sandwiches, is opening a restaurant just three blocks from a Chick-fil-A.
PDQ paid $1.4 million for the long-vacant Ponderosa restaurant at 4526 Fourth St. N. The property seller, All Florida Orthopaedic Associates, bought the building just two years ago for $1.2 million.
"It's going to open the end of summer or in the fall," said Bill Glass, operating partner of the PDQ at 2207 S Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. It will employ about 75 people.
The company was launched in 2011 by Outback Steak- house co-founder Bob Basham. PDQ stands for "people dedicated to quality" as well as "pretty darn quick."
The company is also opening stores in Carrollwood and Wesley Chapel ...