Genghis Grill is seeing strong momentum throughout the first three quarters of 2022 since announcing a new extensive franchise growth strategy earlier this year.
Since April, the brand has signed five multi-unit franchise agreements with both new and existing franchisees to further expand Genghis into several markets including Reno, Nevada; Houston, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi and throughout the state of Ohio.
“Franchise interest is at an all-time high for Genghis Grill,” says Gregg Majewski, CEO of Mongolian Concepts, the powerhouse management group behind Genghis Grill, Flat Top Grill and BD’s Mongolian Grill. “To say this year has been a success would be an understatement. The momentum we are witnessing is invigorating and our goal is to reach 1,000 restaurants in the next 10 years, with operators looking for an innovative, fast casual model that is meeting the demand of today’s consumers.” This marks the first year of new franchise growth since 2011, and the first deals completed since Majewski, formerly CEO of Jimmy John’s, joined the brand in mid-2021.
At the beginning of this year, Genghis Grill launched a franchise incentive offering new qualified single and multi-unit franchisees a reduced franchise fee of $5,000 per location, $0 in development fees (normally $75,000) and up-to $150,000 in royalties waived over the initial two years. This deal is still available for entrepreneurs interested in signing a single unit or multi-unit deal with a maximum of five units through December 31, 2022. The first unit must be opened within 12 months of franchise agreement signing. If that weren’t enticing enough, Genghis Grill recently unveiled a brand-new prototype store, with a reduced footprint, fast-casual service model and new technology designed to streamline operations and improve the guest experience. This new prototype will be utilized throughout 2023 as the new stores begin to open. Additionally, all of the existing locations will be remodeled over the next four years as well to ensure a consistent brand experience.
“Over the last year, we’ve invested a great amount of time, effort and resources to ensure we maintain our spot as the leading create-your-own bowl concept for both consumers and franchise candidates,” adds Rich Guckel, Director of Franchising. “We revamped the look and feel of our restaurants, continued to innovate our menu offerings and invested in new technology and resources to ensure optimal performance. Additionally, we launched a franchise incentive, offering restaurant operators the opportunity to expand their portfolio with a leading concept.”
Since launching 24 years ago in Dallas, Texas, Genghis Grill has put a focus on brand reimaging, heightened customer service, improved food quality and even more operational excellence as a way to continue to refine the customer experience. Today, the brand has over 50 locations open across the country, serving 3.2 million customers annually.
Genghis Grill has identified key markets in its franchise expansion strategy across the South Atlantic, Midwest and Southwest as part of its development plan.
As it expands into new markets, Genghis is actively awarding locations to franchise partners who are looking to get in on the ground floor of a refreshed, reenergized concept. Ideal franchisees are sophisticated, well-capitalized operators who have multi-unit and development experience and the bandwidth to open at least three locations. Depending on geography, size of the store, configuration of the store and several other determining factors, the investment per store ranges from $346,600 to $973,500.
