Fast-casual seafood restaurant chain Captain D’s has signed an official series of franchise development agreements for its forthcoming expansion into Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida, the company announced on 12 July.
The chain, which operates 521 restaurants in 21 states, has achieved six consecutive years of same-store sales increases and four successive years of record high system-wide average unit volume (AUV) –successes it attributes, in part, to its aggressive growth strategy.
"The significant brand building accomplishments we've achieved over the last six years have solidified Captain D's as a leader in the fast casual segment and showcased our unlimited potential for success," said Michael Arrowsmith, chief development officer of Captain D's. "Our commitment to supporting our franchisees has not only driven interest from new candidates, but also fueled growth from within, with existing franchisees continuing to develop more restaurants. We look forward to building on this momentum to continue driving the brand's franchise development."
The latest franchise agreements signed by Captain D’s include:
- Driving Captain D's growth in Alabama and Florida are new franchisees Sam and Gus Abusaleem of GSA Food Group, who will be opening four locations in the Mobile-Pensacola market over the next five years. The Abusaleems have been working in the industry since the early 1990s, having previously owned and operated local convenience stores in their community, as well as several restaurant franchises, including Popeye's and Marco's Pizza. After developing their initial four locations, the partners plan to continue expanding within their territory and opening more Captain D's restaurants throughout the Mobile region.
- Existing franchisees International Restaurant Group have signed a franchise agreement to develop five new restaurants throughout San Antonio, with the first location expected to open later this year. The franchise group is also driving Captain D's expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, most recently opening the first of three planned locations in Dallas in June.
- First-time Captain D's franchisee Chad Vaughn will be opening a new location in Jackson, Tennessee within the next year, with plans to develop additional locations in the market over the next several years. This is Vaughn's first venture into franchising, after spending decades as the owner and operator of a multi-million dollar construction firm.
In addition, nearly 60 percent of Captain D’s restaurants have been reimaged to reflect the brand's new coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year, said the company, regarding other initiatives in the works for 2017.
