Captain D’s announced the opening of its newest franchised location in Chillicothe, Ohio. Located at 1344 Western Ave., the new restaurant marks Captain D’s 19th in the state and comes on the heels of a string of Midwestern development with the brand opening new locations in Carbondale, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, earlier this year. Looking ahead, Captain D’s plans to hone in on its Midwest expansion strategy, executing two franchise development agreements signed for Illinois, specifically to develop across the Chicago metro area and Champaign.
Leading Captain D’s growth in Ohio is multi-unit owner and operator, Inderjit “Ike” Khosla of K&R Associates. After a successful career as an engineer in the coal mining industry for 20+ years, Khosla left his profession to pursue an entrepreneurial path as a franchisee with the fast casual seafood brand in 1991. The new Chillicothe restaurant marks Khosla’s third Captain D’s, with two additional locations currently open in Goody, Kentucky, and Logan, West Virginia.
“Nearly three decades ago, I took a leap in a completely new direction by becoming a Captain D’s franchisee and haven’t looked back since,” says Khosla. “From the very beginning I was met with tremendous franchisee support, which has given me the strong foundation I’ve needed to be successful and continue growing with the brand. Going on my third Captain D’s restaurant, I’m excited to be a part of the brand’s greater expansion plans for the Midwest and bringing its high-quality menu-items and hospitable atmosphere to new territories.”
Throughout the year, Captain D’s has continuously pursued new markets, opening a total of 18 locations, and expanding its brand presence in areas such as the Midwest, South Florida, and Texas. Following this surge in development, Captain D’s recently signed its first agreement in Utah where it will develop three new restaurants across the Salt Lake City market over the next few years, extending Captain D’s footprint to its most western point in the brand’s history.
“In our 50th year of being in business, Captain D’s has reached tremendous development milestones, breaking in to new markets and furthering our footprint across the country” said Brad Reed, chief development officer of Captain D’s. “We’re proud to develop new restaurants with dedicated multi-unit operators like Ike who share our vision for growth, particularly in the Midwest, and recognize the unique investment opportunity our company adds to any franchise network.”
Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s ongoing strong performance. To date, nearly 80 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand’s new vibrant, coastal design. With these efforts, Captain D’s has remained true to what it does best — serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price in a welcoming atmosphere.
Captain D’s has more than 530 restaurants in 22 states.
