Captain D’s announced the signing of two franchise development agreements in New Jersey and Georgia. Both agreements are with experienced business leaders who are new to Captain D’s and came to the brand with conversion opportunities already identified in their cities.
Multi-brand franchisees Jujhar Rai and Maliha Rahmani are developing one location in Camden, New Jersey. The site is a former Church’s Chicken and will open in 2024. Rai and Rahmani have 23 years of experience in restaurant franchising. They currently operate a Checkers and have been owner/operators with Church’s Chicken and Popeyes in the past.
The Georgia agreement backfills opportunities in the Atlanta market. Farid Khan will be developing three Captain D’s, with the first opening next year in a former Hardee’s within the Atlanta area. Khan’s business portfolio includes rental cars, gas stations and a commercial real estate and management company. He also has past experience in hotels and as a Marco’s Pizza franchisee.
“Jujhar, Maliha and Farid recognized valuable properties in their markets that are ripe for repurposing and came to Captain D’s because of our conversion expertise and our unique seafood category,” says Brad Reed, chief development officer of Captain D’s. “In this increasingly competitive real estate market, converting an existing building can save significantly on start-up costs. We look forward to working with these dedicated professionals and utilizing existing efficiencies to get them up and running faster to serve their communities.”
Over the past year, 50 percent of Captain D’s new restaurant openings have been conversions, successfully giving new life to former Huddle House, Bojangles, Dunkin’, KFC and Hardee’s properties. In total, Captain D’s is now the second generation in former locations of 18 different brands, with more conversions planned for 2024.
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.
