Wolfnights, a gourmet wrap concept in New York City, just signed the lease for a new location at 2675 Broadway in Manhattan, readying to more than double its existing footprint and kick off a 10-year growth plan for corporate and franchise expansion.
Wolfnights Founder and CEO Itai Afek is preparing for rapid nationwide growth, with ambitious plans to open two additional New York locations in 2021 and more than 500 new locations in the next 10 years. Opportunities for low-cost restaurant conversions and unprecedented real estate deals accelerated the concept’s growth plans in 2020.
“Wolfnights was considering a corporate expansion,” says Afek, “and that plan accelerated when I saw great deals being made and real estate available in the areas I wanted to expand into in New York City. It was the right time for me to rapidly grow Wolfnights.”
In partnership with Fransmart, the franchise development company responsible for the explosive growth of iconic brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries and QDOBA Mexican Grill, Wolfnights plans to quickly expand in New York, New Jersey and along the East Coast.
“As sad as COVID is, and it is very sad, a smart business owner can see the current benefits of a tenants’ market and get great deals,” says Dan Rowe, franchise industry veteran and CEO of Fransmart. “We’re seeing unheard-of terms on leases and low-cost conversions right now. If you had been considering franchising before COVID-19 hit, you should revisit that idea now with a hot concept like Wolfnights.”
Founded by Afek in 2011, Wolfnights creates the “ideal bite,” ensuring that each bite contains salty, sweet, sour, crunchy and chewy, by using the highest quality ingredients to create consistent, one-of-a-kind flavor experiences for customers. Many of the concept’s signature menu items feature a blend of Mediterranean and Thai elements, from spicy pickled pineapple to housemade coconut vanilla sauce. Their fresh dough is baked to perfection for each order on the IronWolf, a huge iron dome heated by a blazing fire, modeled after the traditional food preparation techniques used in the Mediterranean region.
