T ony Townley is an American billionaire and the co-founder of Zaxby's, a popular American fast-food chain that specializes in chicken fingers, wings, and sandwiches. In 1990, he and his childhood friend, Zach McLeroy, founded the company in Statesboro, Georgia. While McLeroy was often the more public face and longtime CEO of the brand, Townley was the crucial co-founder and business partner who helped build the restaurant from a single location into a major regional powerhouse with hundreds of locations, primarily concentrated in the Southeastern United States.

Zaxby's operates on a franchise model and developed a strong and loyal customer base, becoming a significant player in the highly competitive chicken segment of the fast-food industry. In late 2020, the private equity firm Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking acquired a significant stake in the company, a deal that crystalized the immense fortunes of the two founders. Following the transaction, Townley has since retired from the company he helped build over three decades, focusing on his family and other interests.