Pokeatery, the popular Bay Area fast casual poké restaurant, has partnered with franchise development company, Fransmart, and will begin expanding through franchised locations into select target markets.
Husband and wife team, Derek and Joann Chung, were inspired to open Pokeatery and bring their favorite poké flavors of Hawaii to the mainland United States. Joann’s family has a long history in the restaurant business, and has owned sushi restaurants for over 20 years.
With one location currently open in San Mateo, California, and future locations coming soon to Castro Valley and Austin, Texas, Pokeatery is one of the most successful poké concepts in the San Francisco Bay Area. The menu offers a wide variety of bases, sauces and toppings that can’t be found at other concepts while the branding revolves around high quality, healthy ingredients and responsibly-sourced seafood.
A recent article by Eater predicts the long-lasting scalability of poké restaurants, saying, “the Hawaiian food ‘trend’ has actually been imminent for quite some time.” The same article also notes that while restaurants that serve poké have nearly doubled in the last two years, the trend shows no signs of slowing down, with those numbers set to triple in certain areas by the year 2020.
Restaurant founder Joann Chung describes the concept as “a modern California twist on the classic Hawaiian flavors of poké, using the highest quality all-natural ingredients in a build-your-own fast casual format, all while focusing on responsibly and sustainably-sourced seafood.”
Fransmart is the franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Qdoba Mexican Grill, and will serve as Pokeatery’s exclusive franchise development partner.
