A Pensacola fan-favorite restaurant has found a home in a former Checkers. What's new:

When COVID-19 hit, it meant more online orders, curbside pick-ups and drive-thru orders than the food industry had ever seen.

That’s when 3-D Eats & Tea owner Sean DeSmet started thinking about the potential of an old, closed down Checkers Drive-In on 3200 North Pace Boulevard to continue building the brand he has chipped away at for over two decades.

“That is the perfect restaurant for what we specialize in, which is high quality, quick, inexpensive, great food. Nothing Avant Garde, I'm not reinventing the wheel or anything. But we're serving great burgers that are using only the best meats, which is like brisket and short rib and ground chuck,” DeSmet said.

As a “fast food foodie” himself, DeSmet designed his menu around the comfort foods you crave, like burgers, loaded fries and Philly cheesesteaks, but with high quality ingredients and customer service.

“I grew up eating at McDonald's, eating Burger King, Wendy's, Sbarro — these are my go-tos. And now, lately, since COVID, it's gross. It's just really poor quality,” he said.

At 3-D Eats, orders average out to about three-to-five-minute wait-time and when DeSmet hears a burger order through his headset — he’s throwing the patty on the grill as it’s ordered.

For now, DeSmet will be bringing over all the staples from his other ventures, like his hand-shaved ribeye cheesesteaks, pickle-brined chicken and signature Southern-style sweet tea slush. Things that his staff know like the backs of their hands and can produce quickly to keep up with the new double-lane drive-thru.

The first lane will function as a normal drive-thru, while the second lane will be reserved for pick-up orders that have already been paid for online. Those interested in drinks only can go right to the pick-up lane. The restaurant also has the walk-up order option, but for safety and staffing reasons, when the sun goes down, the restaurant becomes drive-thru only.

Not only does the food come out fast, but it's also affordable, as everything on his menu is under $10. He also plans on introducing a brown bag special including a sandwich, fries and a drink starting at $7.

From the archives: 3-D Eats & Tea opens brick and mortar location on Pensacola Boulevard

He said he was tired of watching the food quality go down on his favorite fast-food joints, and diners shouldn’t have to compromise quality for convenience.

That’s why his diners know that that when they’re paying for his pork, it’s been smoked for 12 hours. The freshness, and the consistency, is all part of the legacy he has built.

“These are the things you can hang your hat on at the end of the night,” DeSmet said. “You will know when you go to 3-D Eats you’re getting the quality.”

That, and his 3-D Sweet Tea Slush, which he considers to be his flagship product, which he said will outsell the Coca-a-Cola products he carries any day.

He uses his sweet tea’s popularity for good, as $3 from each refillable plastic mason jar he sells will help fund two $5,000 student scholarships as part of his company's “Mason a Difference” charitable campaign.

DeSmet has tried his hand at a little bit of everything, from food truck to mall kiosk and brick-and-mortar, but he doesn’t see himself stopping anytime soon. He wants to continue to grow his business into a franchise model, but without ever losing that mom-and-pop feel.

“I’m always thinking, I’m always progressing, I’m always moving forward. So that’s the 3-D vision, you know. Progress, progress, progress,” DeSmet said.

The Pace Boulevard location is currently open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

More updates and information can be found on the 3-D Eats & Tea Pensacola Facebook page.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: 3-D Eats & Tea expands to new brick-and-mortar in former Checkers