Fresh&co strengthened its franchise support team with the addition of a new franchise business consultant, Steven Gardner of QSR Franchise Development Group.
The announcement comes on the heels of the concept’s recent launch of its franchise opportunity and plans to further expand throughout the Northeast.
“Steve is a strong salesman with relevant experience and his team at QSR Franchise Development Group will greatly benefit our brand as we continue to grow toward our development goals,” says George Tenedios, co-founder and CEO of fresh&co. “fresh&co is a regional brand with 18 corporate-owned restaurants throughout New York City, and our entire development team is focused on expanding the brand to fans across the Northeast by offering a differentiated franchise concept to interested entrepreneurs in markets large and small. There is no doubt that Steve will help us do this.”
Gardner brings nearly 30 years of experience in franchise sales, development relations, marketing and real estate strategies to fresh&co. In the 1990s, he was in real estate development and served as a commercial real estate broker involved in site location and lease negotiations, as well as store build-out for corporate and new franchise locations. In the last 10 years alone, he has been responsible for the sale of over 1,000 franchise units as an independent consultant and outsourced Director of Franchise Development for numerous emerging and more established franchise brands.
“I have witnessed fresh&co’s growing popularity and expansion over the last several years and have been most impressed with the company’s commitment to connecting people to real food. That’s what has set them apart most as a restaurant concept,” says Gardner. “The plan is to bring the fresh&co model to every applicable market across the Northeast over the next five years and to meet the consumer demand for healthier food options that are easily accessible and affordable.”
Less than two months after officially launching its franchise opportunity, fresh&co has signed its first franchisee development agreement, a multi-unit deal for three restaurants in New York’s Westchester County area. The first of those restaurants is slated to open in 2019.
Looking ahead, the company’s growth will be primarily achieved through multi-unit franchising, as well as the opening of 3-5 new corporate stores each year.
Including a franchise fee of $45,000, the estimated initial investment to open a fresh&co franchise is between $633,000 and $1,503,500 in NYC. Each location typically occupies approximately 1,200-2,000 square feet of retail space and presents franchisees with multiple revenue streams (breakfast, lunch, dinner and catering).
