The new CEO of the Wahlburgers restaurant chain isn’t letting the pandemic get in the way of ambitious expansion plans. As John Fuller researched the company before interviewing for the CEO job at the Hingham-based group, he was surprised to learn it only had 37 locations, given its widespread name recognition. There’s a good reason for that brand awareness: Wahlburgers is owned by the celebrity Wahlberg brothers Mark and Donnie, alongside their brother, Paul, a chef who became a celebrity in his own right, thanks in part to the A&E series about the company. The show ended after 10 seasons last year, but Fuller still hopes to capitalize on all the related publicity. Fuller, who became the Wahlburgers president and CEO earlier this month, said he envisions growing the business to 300 locations within five years, including as many as 30 corporate-managed restaurants. The split today is 31 franchise restaurants and six corporate ones. It has been a slow but steady rise since the brothers launched the concept in 2011, starting with the Hingham spot; one particularly large franchising deal to expand in Asia, announced in 2017, has since fallen through. – Source: The Boston Globe.