Wahlburgers Will Head Home to Dorchester, Kehd
From left: Robert, Donnie, Alma, and Mark Wahlberg at the Fenway Wahlburgers red carpet preview. / Photo by Matt Juul
Dorchester brought the world the Wahlbergs, and now the famous family is honoring that community with its very own location of Wahlburgers.
The Boston Herald reported that actor and producer Mark, actor and New Kids on the Block alum Donnie, and chef Paul, as Wahlburgers Boston Developer Co. LLC, have signed a lease for a 5,000 square foot space at the proposed South Bay Town Center development. They’re also raising money to expand further in Massachusetts.
“I am excited to say that we signed a lease at South Bay, in Dorchester, for a truly ‘hometown’ location,” Donnie Wahlberg said. “The idea of bringing jobs and business to our neighborhood is really a source of tremendous pride for all of my family.”
Wahlburgers currently has six locations around the country, including the original restaurant in Hingham, one in Lynnfield, and one in Fenway. The A&E reality show Wahlburgers, which follows the family and their burgeoning burger empire, begins its fifth season on March 9.
During a red carpet soft opening of Wahlburgers’ Fenway store in the fall, Mark told Boston a Dorchester location was on the horizon “very soon. We want to start really in and around the New England area. We’ve got a lot of other businesses and franchisees out across the country and across different parts of the world, but our main focus right now is in New England,” he said.
A Logan Airport Wahlburgers will open in Termical C this spring, according to the Herald. It will also open in Orlando this month, and Philadelphia and Las Vegas this year, too. The Hingham-based company is currently fundraising to continue growing; they have previously announced plans for 150 more stores over the next five years. The Herald reported that so far, they have raised $1.36 million of a $10 million goal.
“Because they’re doing so well, that’s the impetus to raise more capital to expand within Massachusetts—that means … within the I-95 belt and even beyond,” Lori Moretti, a Wahlburgers spokesperson, said.
A timeline for the Dorchester Wahlburgers hasn’t been released. The mixed-use development it’s slated for is currently under city review.
