First Modular Church's Comes to Georgia Tomorrow

Church’s Chicken will unveil the brand’s latest store prototype to its network of franchisees in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on April 1, 2009. Large flat-bed rigs will haul and massive cranes will put into place a modular restaurant concept, which Church’s officials say will cut the overall cost of a new store by 20-30 percent. The structure is a 100-percent factory-built unit and can be fully finished and ready for business in less than three days. In honor of the event, Mayor Rex A. Millsaps, of Lawrenceville, will proclaim April 1, 2009, “Start Up a Franchise, Start Up the Economy” Day.

“Modular technology makes the prospect of owning and operating a Church’s faster, easier, and more affordable by cutting costs in development, insurance premiums and equipment," says Harsha V. Agadi, Church’s president and CEO. "An added advantage to the modular unit is its instant marketability, which will have franchisees up and running faster without compromising value, quality, or safety.”

Franchisees will save on the cost of insurance premiums because of the modular building’s steel infrastructure, which added to the unit’s mobility. It allows the restaurant to be depreciated like equipment, cutting a considerable amount of routine taxes and fees. Franchisees also save approximately 55 percent on all store equipment by utilizing re-manufactured items.

Since the modular building is fully manufactured off-site, franchisees eliminate the risks associated with a general contractor, giving them more control over the development process by reducing the risk of the ‘x factors’ connected with the construction process.

The new modular unit takes another innovative leap forward with energy efficiency and intelligence. The Light Stat energy management system will cut the annual utility costs by over 10 percent.