Captain D’s opened its newest franchised restaurant in Abingdon, Virginia, marking the company’s 23rd location in the state. Located at 555 Cummings St., this new restaurant signifies the acceleration of the brand’s aggressive franchise development plans for the Virginia/Washington, D.C., area. The Abingdon restaurant will celebrate its grand opening on September 7, starting with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. attended by members of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and local dignitaries.
The new restaurant is owned and operated by Chris Benner, Tim Stokes, and Ed Stokes of Trident Holdings, a private equity group that currently operates 16 Captain D’s restaurants across four states, with three additional locations slated to open over the next three years. As vice president of operations, Benner spearheads the group’s operations and brings more than 20 years of food service management experience to Captain D’s. The team attributes their successful expansion in the region to former Captain D’s franchisee Jim Pepper, who served as a mentor throughout the development process and will be the guest of honor during the ribbon cutting ceremony in recognition of his role as one of the early pioneers for the brand in the Tri-Cities region.
“As a veteran of the food service industry, I’ve witnessed first-hand the countless fast casual brands that have come and gone over the last two decades, but few offer the immense potential for success as Captain D’s. From its distinctive signature products to the outstanding support system in place for franchisees, the company is positioned uniquely in the fast casual arena, which made it the obvious choice for us,” says Chris Benner, Captain D’s franchisee. “Becoming a part of the D’s family offered an invaluable opportunity to join a company that’s established itself as a leader with a proven track record for success, and we’re thrilled to be growing this partnership and opening our newest franchise in Abingdon.”
This expansion in Virginia is part of the brand’s overall franchise development plans for this year. Captain D’s has experienced a recent surge of franchise development, propelled by the company’s ongoing success, with the second quarter of 2016 signifying the company’s 19th consecutive quarter of system-wide growth. Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s compounding success. To date, 50 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brands new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year. 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 513 restaurants in 21 states. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand’s rapid expansion.
