Church’s Chicken has entered into a 10-unit franchise development agreement with Road Ranger, the leading truck stop, gas station, convenience store, and travel center chain in the Midwest spanning Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Texas. The terms of the deal, while not disclosed, focus on developing non-traditional locations co-located in the Road Ranger travel plazas. The transaction marks a new emphasis on growing the Church’s footprint along major travel corridors throughout the US.
“We have developed a footprint that works well for our franchisees and our guests in travel plazas and other non-traditional locations,” says Bill Schreiber, vice president of global franchising for Church’s Chicken. “Expanding into travel plazas allows our brand to meet the need for convenience for our guests while they are most in need of a great meal: when they have been on the road for hours at a time.”
Schreiber notes that the system was ready for this type of highway growth and that it found the right partner in Road Ranger. “They not only know how to run great travel plazas, they also have demonstrated success in opening them,” he says.
“We have a long history of developing gas and convenience locations. Adding an international brand like Church’s Chicken to our portfolio is a natural evolution in our travel plaza growth strategy,” says Dan Arnold, founder and CEO of Road Ranger LLC.