Captain D’s announced the opening of its third Express model, a new prototype for the nation’s leading fast casual seafood restaurant. Featuring a double drive-thru and carryout service only, this company-owned restaurant is located in the St. Louis, Missouri, market at 8001 N. Lindberg Ave. in Hazelwood. Captain D’s Express debuted last year with a franchise location in Atlanta and a company-owned Express in the Columbus, Ohio, market.
Sporting a significantly smaller design with no dining room, Express is a sleek 960 square feet. This innovative model meets the demands of urban markets with limited space and caters to customers on the move with a drive-thru and walk-up windows. The revamped kitchen layout and streamlined menu of Captain D’s core favorites – batter-dipped fish, chicken, catfish, and shrimp -expedites cooking times and accelerates service.
“With our focus on drive-thru efficiency and convenience on the go, Captain D’s Express is a natural fit for a busy metropolitan area like St. Louis,” says Brad Reed, Chief Development Officer of Captain D’s. “We are always striving to serve our guests in the best way we can, focusing on our food quality, speed of service and all the other ways we can best bring Captain D’s to the community. We look forward to elevating the overall customer experience in Hazelwood with Express.”
The double drive-thru at the new Hazelwood Captain D’s is poised to be a game-changer for the restaurant. The company has introduced them at six other locations so far, improving service speeds by as much as a minute and a half and increasing daily car counts by up to 35 percent.
Captain D’s at 8001 N. Lindberg Ave. in Hazelwood is open every day of the week 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call-ahead orders can be placed by calling 314-917-7746.
Captain D’s has heavily invested in real estate innovation over the past several years, developing a robust lineup of restaurant prototypes. In addition to Express, there are 22- and 44-seat models designed to adapt to the increasingly competitive real estate market and provide franchisees with flexibility and substantial cost savings. Because of its compact footprint, Express models can reduce start-up costs by as much as 25%. A smaller footprint also means a streamlined workforce of 20–25 staff members rather than the typical 40–45 people. Captain D’s is also successfully converting vacant restaurant properties, with three cost-effective conversions recently completed in Georgia markets and more on the way.
With more than 530 restaurants in 23 states, Captain D’s is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one 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.
