Captain D’s announced it signed franchise development agreements to expand its presence in Georgia, Texas, and Virginia. As part of this accelerated growth, the company will open five new restaurants in the Savannah, Georgia, market, three in Dallas, and one in Hopewell, Virginia, over the next several years. Captain D’s has experienced a recent surge of franchise development, propelled by the brand’s overall expansion plans for the year and its ongoing success, with the second quarter of 2016 signifying its 19th consecutive quarter of system-wide growth.
Joining existing franchisee team Ben and Kavin Patel is Bart Howe, who will serve as the group’s operating partner and help develop restaurants throughout the greater Savannah area, with the first slated to open in early 2017 in Pooler, Georgia. A food service industry veteran, Howe previously served as the company’s Jacksonville and Southeast Georgia area director and supervised more than 200 Captain D’s employees throughout the region, as well as helped generate system-wide record sales for locations in his territory.
“While many in the food service industry have experienced a decline in profits, Captain D’s has achieved same-store sales growth for five consecutive years, and with good reason. We put time and effort into ensuring our brand has the people, product and processes in place to set us up for ongoing success, which is why we’re now able to expand our presence nationwide,” Howe says. “Since joining the company in 2014, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know this region extremely well, which will be a valuable resource when developing new restaurants over the next several years. Savannah is a vibrant, thriving community and we’re thrilled to be a part of the Captain D’s growth in the area.”
Driving Captain D’s expansion in Texas are first-time franchisees Jeff Moosa and Syed Raza Ali, who plan to develop three new restaurants throughout the Dallas and Fort Worth area over the next two years, with the first slated to open in Dallas later this year. Moosa and Ali each have more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Captain D’s currently has 11 restaurants in Texas.
Captain D’s has also signed a franchise development agreement with CD Restaurants to propel the brand’s presence in Virginia, where it currently has 22 locations. The franchisee group also operates 18 Captain D’s restaurants throughout the Richmond/Petersburg and Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News markets. The new Hopewell location is expected to open in spring 2017.
“Over the past several years, Captain D’s has established itself as a leader in the food service industry with immense profit potential, which has driven interest from franchisee prospects throughout the country and fueled franchise development nationwide,” says Michael Arrowsmith, chief development officer for Captain D’s. “Georgia, Texas, and Virginia are all prime markets we are targeting for future growth, and with such a strong franchise development pipeline and exceptionally experienced franchisees joining our team, we have no doubt that we will continue taking the brand to new heights.”
Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s compounding success. To date, 50 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brands new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year.
With 513 restaurants in 21 states, Captain D’s is a fast-casual seafood leader and the No. 1 seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand’s rapid expansion.
