Captain D’s announced its year-end results, achieving its fourth successive year of record high system-wide AUV. Captain D’s also saw a fourth-quarter system-wide same-store sales increase of 1.3 percent and a 2.3 percent system-wide same-store sales increase for the entire fiscal year, marking the company’s 21st consecutive quarter and sixth consecutive year of positive growth.
“The Captain D’s brand continues to evolve each year, but we have never wavered from our guest-centric values and our commitment to serving high-quality, innovative seafood dishes. Our dedication to excellence has lead to a passionate following of consumers nationwide. We’re thrilled with our ongoing, year after year success, and we know that we’re just getting started,” says Phil Greifeld, chief executive officer and president of Captain D’s. “Coupled with our strong franchise development pipeline, the exceptional growth we experienced last year has positioned Captain D’s for immense potential in 2017. We look forward to accelerating this momentum in the New Year and taking the brand to new heights.”
Throughout 2016, Captain D’s experienced a surge of franchise and corporate development, with 13 new locations opened, along with numerous development agreements signed to open an additional 25 new restaurants this year. This ongoing growth expanded the brand’s presence in states nationwide, including Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, and Virginia.
Captain D’s success in 2016 was further driven by its seafood expertise and product innovation, with the system-wide launch of its Nashville Hot Fish, which gave customers a true taste of its Nashville heritage. Coupled with its menu diversification and expanded array of offerings, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s compounding success. To date, 59 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand’s 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.
With 518 restaurants in 21 states, Captain D’s is a fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume.