At the 1984 World's Exhibition in New Orleans, Petro's enjoyed an encore performance. Meanwhile, in Knoxville, loyal fans were pining away for the taste they had come to love during the Fair. Behind the development of Petro's Chili & Chips are brothers Dale and Keith Widmer, who were 29 and 25 respectively, when they returned to Knoxville and opened their first permanent store in the food court of West Town Mall. There they proudly continued the energy-based tradition with the menu including the Regular®, Premium®, Super Premium®, Unleadeds, and Petro Additives, but opted to serve their Petro® in a "barrel" instead of the nostalgic bag.

From the beginning, Petro's has been received with rave reviews by customers; the uniqueness, made-to-order fresh taste and presentation being the key ingredients to their success. The appearance and professionalism of the operation have been a refreshing alternative in the crowded fast-food market. A focus on customer service has been instrumental to their continued success.

During the mid-80s, Petro's found its niche in mall food courts; expanding into Knoxville, Nashville, Chattanooga and Johnson City, Tennessee. It wasn't until 1992, however, that the brothers felt comfortable enough to begin offering franchises. "We were slow and conservative about expanding via franchising," acknowledges Petro's president, Dale Widmer. "We wanted to get the systems and controls in place before we went to franchising."

Today, Petro's continues to look to expand its concept into new venues: free-standing restaurants with drive-thrus, mall locations, theme parks, carts, kiosks, airports, and strip centers.

In addition to opening new company-owned stores, the Widmer brothers plan to continue seeking franchising opportunities in order to expand their unique concept. But they will continue to be cautious about expansion. "It's important that we partner with quality operators that run quality stores in the right locations," says Keith Widmer, the director of franchising.

Petro's has grown at a calculated rate, unlike many other new operations that hit big and burn out. The approach seems to be working. Petro's doubled its franchise locations in the past year and is poised for further expansion.