Captain D’s, the leading fast casual seafood restaurant, is continuing aggressive expansion efforts in Central Florida, targeting Orlando as a key market for development. To deepen the brand’s visibility in the region and showcase opportunities for franchise expansion, Mark Levis, senior director of franchise development of Captain D’s, will be at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show in Orlando from September 10–12 to meet with qualified prospective franchisees. Captain D’s currently has 29 restaurants in Florida and is looking to further grow its footprint in the state by propelling development in the Central Florida region.

Captain D’s development plans for Orlando come on the heels of an outstanding year of success, achieving its sixth consecutive year of same store sales increases and fourth successive year of record high system-wide AUV in 2016. This ongoing success has fueled a surge in franchise development for the brand and contributed to its significant growth in key markets nationwide, most recently signing a development agreement to open nine new restaurants in the greater Tampa Bay region.

“We continue to target Central Florida for franchise development because we’ve seen how well Captain D’s has been received in the market, with existing stores consistently reporting positive sales,” says Michael Arrowsmith, chief development officer of Captain D’s. “Our ongoing success is largely due in part to the close relationships we have forged with our franchisees, who remain committed to growing our brand’s presence nationwide. We welcome experienced, qualified franchise candidates to visit us at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, and look forward to sharing more about the unique opportunity to join a nationally recognized brand with a proven record of success.”

Those interested in developing Captain D’s restaurants are encouraged to contact Mark Levis, senior director of franchise development, at 615-603-8373 to discuss opportunities. Levis will be at booth 1248 at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show on September 10–11 from 11 a.m.–5 p.m., and September 12 from 11 a.m. –4 p.m. at the Orange County Convention Center, located at 9800 International Drive.

Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s ongoing strong performance. To date, nearly 70 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 522 restaurants in 21 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.

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