Denver-based Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, a fast-casual restaurant concept providing guests healthy, Mediterranean cuisine, announced today the awarding of franchise development rights to the first Dallas franchisee The Chickpea Group LLC.
Owning the rights to develop up to 10 Garbanzo restaurants in the Dallas area, The Chickpea Group anticipates opening its initial location in the first quarter of 2013. It is currently considering many different locations throughout the city.
The Chickpea Group is owned and operated by Scott and Mary Quigley of Dallas. Franchise veterans, the Quigleys opened the fourth Subway location in Dallas in the 1980s and were the youngest franchisees in that concept’s history. They owned Subway restaurants for 18 years in the area before becoming Wingstop and Smashburger franchisees in Louisiana.
“While Scott and Mary Quigley bring many years of restaurant experience to Garbanzo, they also offer a nearly unequaled enthusiasm and passion for the brand that is fantastic to see,” says Bob Bafundo, Garbanzo vice president of company and franchise operations. “Having lived and operated franchise locations in Dallas for nearly 20 years, the Quigleys are well acquainted with the region giving Garbanzo an ideal advantage entering a new market. We expect many life-long Garbanzo fans to come out of the Dallas area.”
Garbanzo has firm qualification criteria for potential franchisees. Only experienced, successful multi-unit restaurant operators who are well-capitalized and interested in additional multi-unit growth with the Garbanzo brand are considered.
“I was initially introduced to Garbanzo as a customer nearly two years ago on business trips to Denver,” explains Scott Quigley. “I fell in love with the food, meal customization, and overall ambiance of the restaurants, and I was certain a diverse city like Dallas would be equally as enamored. Dallas is among the top cities in the country for dining out frequency, plus it is a very healthy city with residents who enjoy frequenting locally-owned restaurants. The health benefits and robust flavors of Garbanzo’s Mediterranean menu are going to be a big hit.”
The Chickpea Group is utilizing the real estate services of Structure Commercial for site acquisition in the Dallas area.
“With franchise locations opening in San Antonio, Austin, and now Dallas, Garbanzo is beginning to make a name for itself in Texas,” says Alon Mor, Garbanzo founder, president and CEO. “We receive the most requests from former Colorado residents now living in Texas to open locations in their cities, so this is a very exciting announcement for us. Knowing we already have fans in a new market is really one of the best feelings.”
Franchising is one of Garbanzo’s key growth strategies building upon the success of its 14 company-owned restaurants in Colorado. In addition to expansion through franchising, Garbanzo will continue its aggressive company-owned restaurant development both in the state and outside Colorado’s borders, specifically in the D.C./Baltimore area.
Garbanzo offers guests a variety of authentic Mediterranean items with an emphasis on flavor, freshness, and quality, as well as a healthy trans-fat free menu. Guests have the ability to customize meals with items such as pita, laffa, falafel, shwarma, hummus, seasoned rice, sauces, and dressings. All Garbanzo salads and sauces are prepared on-site daily, and the pita are made from scratch throughout the day. Additionally, several ingredients are bought locally and some are imported directly from the Mediterranean region.
