What Wathco General Contractors does

Wathco General Contractors (legal entity: Wathco LLC) is a privately held, for-profit commercial general contractor founded in 1996 and headquartered in Braselton, Georgia. The company specializes in commercial renovations and remodels for national restaurant, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and education brands, with a primary focus on multi-location restaurant brand rollout, reimaging, and expansion programs. Wathco holds licensing and permitting capability across all 50 states and has completed over 4,000 projects across 48 states since inception, serving more than 100 enterprise brand clients including Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, LongHorn, Bahama Breeze, Carrabba's, Cheddar Scratch Kitchen, Yard House), Inspire Brands (Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings), CKE Restaurants (Hardee's, Carl's Jr.), Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and Walmart.

The company's core service offering comprises four interconnected lines — Renovation/Remodel, Tenant Improvements (including overnight remodels), Conversions (60-90 day programs), and Facilities management — delivered through dedicated traveling superintendents and a national subcontractor network. Wathco also operates a Storm Response Services line for emergency post-weather-event reconstruction. Wathco is not a technology company; it relies on traditional project delivery, on-site superintendent presence, preconstruction value engineering, and disciplined safety and quality protocols rather than proprietary software platforms. In July 2023, the company received a private equity investment from Garden City Equity to support continued growth, with founder Jason J. Walder continuing as CEO alongside COO Jeff Kletzine and CFO Darlene S. Stone. The company has earned notable customer recognition including Papa John's Construction Partner of the Year (2023) and Zaxby's Vendor of the Year for Tyler Walder (2024).

Name

Wathco General Contractors

Legal name

Wathco LLC

Website

https://wathco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wathco General Contractors is a privately held commercial general contractor, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Braselton, Georgia, specializing in restaurant remodels, tenant improvements, conversions, and facilities management for 100+ national brand clients across all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Performing General Contractors (IMAFAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commercial General Contracting (New Build) (IMAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Commercial renovations
• Restaurant remodels
• Tenant improvements
• Construction conversions
• Facilities management

Headquarters

HQ city

Braselton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. General Contracting / Construction Project Fees: Wathco generates revenue by serving as the general contractor for commercial renovation, remodeling, conversion, tenant improvement, and facilities management projects. Revenue is earned through fixed-price or cost-plus construction contracts with national restaurant, retail, and hospitality brands. Projects range from overnight remodels to 60–90 day conversion remodels to multi-location fast-track programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wathco General Contractors is a nationwide commercial general contractor specializing in restaurant renovations, remodels, tenant improvements, conversions, and facilities management for national restaurant, retail, and hospitality brands. The company delivers projects ranging from overnight remodels to 60–90 day conversion programs, with licensing and permit capability in all 50 states and a dedicated team of traveling superintendents and construction crews. Wathco also provides storm response contractor services for emergency repairs nationwide.

Product overview

Wathco General Contractors is a nationwide commercial construction company offering a unified suite of construction and renovation services rather than a software product. The company operates as a single-service business with four interconnected core offerings: Renovation/Remodel Services (including fast-track remodels), Tenant Improvements (with overnight remodel capabilities), Conversions, and Facilities management. These services are delivered through dedicated traveling superintendents and construction crews capable of pulling permits in all 50 states. The company also provides storm response services. All services share common operational elements: on-site superintendent presence, value engineering during preconstruction, weekly safety meetings, and open communication protocols throughout the project lifecycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Renovation/Remodel Services Complete interior and exterior renovations and remodels for restaurants, retail spaces, and hospitality venues, including fast-track remodels completed in a few weeks with minimal business downtime.
• Tenant Improvements Day tenant improvements and full buildouts, including overnight remodels that allow businesses to continue operating normally during renovation work performed at night.
• Conversions Complete conversion remodels typically completed in 60-90 days, transforming existing spaces for new purposes or brand updates.
• Facilities Management Comprehensive facilities management and construction services including dining room expansions and patio additions.
• Storm Response Services Nationwide storm response contractor services for emergency repairs and reconstruction following severe weather events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000+ projects completed across 48 states
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers41 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gilbane Building Company: Large national commercial GC with services spanning hospitality, restaurant, retail, healthcare, and education. Overlaps with Wathco's verticals but at significantly broader project scale and contract value.
• Turner Construction Company: One of the largest U.S. commercial general contractors with broad capabilities across hospitality, retail, restaurant, healthcare, and institutional builds. A broad incumbent that overlaps with Wathco in commercial nonresidential construction but operates at vastly larger scale and scope.
• Manhattan Construction Company: National commercial general contractor active in hospitality, restaurant, retail, sports, and government projects. Overlaps with Wathco's commercial renovation/restaurant focus but covers a much broader portfolio including large ground-up work.

Direct peers

• Cleveland Construction, Inc. National commercial construction company specializing in restaurant, retail, hospitality, and multi-location rollout projects, with multi-state permitting capability. Closely comparable customer base, service mix, and delivery model to Wathco's multi-location brand program work.
• Haven Construction: Commercial general contractor focused on restaurant, retail, and hospitality remodels and ground-up construction with a multi-state operating footprint. Comparable to Wathco on customer profile (national brands), service mix (remodels, tenant improvements, conversions), and project-based revenue model.
• GreenWood Solutions: National commercial general contractor specializing in restaurant remodels, reimaging, and new construction for QSR and casual-dining brands. Directly comparable in target customer, scope (multi-location rollout programs), and business model (traveling PMs, nationwide permitting, fixed-price contracts) to Wathco.
• CRG (Clayco Residential Group / Construction Resources Group): National general contractor focused on retail, restaurant, and commercial tenant buildouts with a multi-state permitting/licensing model. Closely comparable to Wathco's core QSR and retail customer base and tenant-improvement service offering.

Regional players

• Beard Construction: Mid-size U.S. commercial general contractor focused on restaurant, retail, hospitality, and senior living remodels and renovations. Comparable in service mix but primarily serves the Midwest/regional footprint rather than Wathco's 48-state nationwide coverage.
• Shaw Construction: Regional commercial construction firm with restaurant and retail remodel and tenant-improvement experience. Comparable services and customer types to Wathco but constrained to a Western U.S. footprint relative to Wathco's nationwide reach.

Emerging players

• NV2A Restaurant Group: Boutique commercial contractor focused on QSR and casual-dining brand remodels, conversions, and tenant buildouts for regional and emerging restaurant concepts. Overlaps with Wathco's core restaurant remodel specialization, but serves a smaller/emerging client base rather than Fortune-500-scale brand programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wathco General Contractors