Captain D’s LLC, the leading fast-casual seafood restaurant, announced today plans for continued development in Dallas, Texas, with two new openings slated this year in Allen and Garland. This announcement comes on the heels of a successful first quarter, which marked the company’s 18th consecutive quarter of positive growth with a 2.5 percent system-wide same store sales increase. With seven existing locations in the market, the expansion efforts in Dallas are part of Captain D’s overall franchise expansion plans this year, with a goal to open 17 restaurants by the end of 2016.
“Captain D’s experienced a surge of franchise growth at the end of last year, and we’ve continued to ride that momentum in 2016 with franchise development agreements signed to open at least four new restaurants this year,” says Michael Arrowsmith, chief development officer for Captain D’s. “We’ve identified the Southwest as a key market and see tremendous opportunity, specifically in the greater Dallas area. With a handful of successful restaurants in the market, we look forward to leveraging our existing relationships to further propel our brand’s presence in Dallas and are eager to welcome new franchisees to our growing Captain D’s family.”
Among existing franchisees in Dallas is Lisa Starnes, a restaurant industry veteran who’s owned Captain D’s locations in Dallas for more than two decades. Starnes is a Tennessee native and grew up eating Captain D’s as a child. When she came across the opportunity to purchase her first location, she jumped at the chance. Franchising was a viable career move for Starnes, as it provided her the freedom of ownership under a proven system with best-in-class training, corporate support, and quality products to serve customers. Starnes owns and operates seven Captain D’s restaurants in Dallas, all of which have completed renovations to reflect the brand’s new restaurant design, and has plans to develop an additional location in the market this year.
“My family and I have spent the past 20 years growing our Captain D’s business in Dallas. With my son Rhys also working alongside us, we truly see Captain D’s as a part of our family,” Starnes says. “Captain D’s embodies a culture that enables team members to take pride in what they do: providing the community with a welcoming atmosphere to enjoy a freshly plated, quality meal with friends and family. We value our guests and look forward to continuing to serve them for years to come.”
Joining Starnes in the Dallas market is husband and wife franchisee team Mohammad and Amira Alalimiy. With a combined 20 years of successful franchise restaurant experience with Golden Chick and operations experience with brands such as KFC and McDonald’s, this is the first Captain D’s franchise for the pair who plan to open their first location in Allen, Texas, later this year. Eric Kim has also joined the Captain D’s team. A second generation Dairy Queen franchisee, Kim plans to open his first location in Garland this fall.
Captain D’s success in the first quarter was further driven by the system-wide launch of its Nashville Hot Fish, reflecting the company’s seafood expertise and product innovation. Additionally, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant design with contributing to franchise development interest. To date, 43 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brands new vibrant, coastal design, with another 80 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year.
