Aloha Poke Co., the nation’s premier fast-casual poke restaurant, announced its newest Chicago-area store in the Village of Mount Prospect. The store will open on October 18th at 916 N. Elmhurst Rd. The Mount Prospect location will be the 20th store in the brand’s system and the 9th store in the Chicago region.
Following a strong 2022 performance in which the company recorded +13% comparable store sales in the first half of the year, Aloha Poke Co. also announced plans for a new Deerfield location in early 2023, which will increase the number of the company-owned and operated stores to 13.
“My family lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and I’m asked constantly about opening stores in the area,” says Chris Birkinshaw, CEO of Aloha Poke Co. “Based on the growing demand for delicious and healthy fast causal concepts and a strong location, it’s the perfect time to bring Aloha Poke Co. to Mount Prospect and the surrounding community. We’re thrilled to continue to expand our footprint around Chicago while also growing with our exceptional franchisees in existing and new markets across the country.”
The company started in 2016 in a food hall in Chicago’s busy West Loop, offering its customers fast, freshly packed sashimi-grade fish paired with delicious, whole ingredients. In the six years since its founding, Aloha Poke Co. has grown to 20 locations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. In addition to the brand’s responsibly sourced menu and simple, efficient operations, franchise restaurant investors are drawn to Aloha Poke Co.’s attractive initial capital requirements, unit economics, and appealing sales-to-investment figures.
In 2020, Aloha Poke Co. announced the development of 11 Houston, TX franchise locations. First-time franchisees Amanda and Cory Tabb opened this market in 2021 with their Cypress store, and Baryalay Razi, a multi-brand, multi-unit professional franchisee, will open another ten stores, with a Richmond, TX location starting operations later this year.
Aloha Poke Co. is actively seeking to grow its exciting, health-forward, fast-casual concept with qualified entrepreneurs and experienced restaurant franchisees in key growth markets, including Florida, Texas, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Ideal Aloha Poke Co. franchisees have restaurant operations or business management experience and share the desire to positively impact the nation’s need for quick, beautiful, sustainable poke bowls.
