Shoppe Franchise Development LLC, franchisor of Hot Dog Shoppe restaurants, announced the signing of the first Hot Dog Shoppe franchise with Marty Rauch of Sarasota, Florida. The first franchise restaurant is a conversion of a former Burger King in Venice, FL. The Burger King closed after 40 years of successful operation at this location. Site adaptation is projected for 70 days, and the restaurant is scheduled to open in December 2023.

New franchisee Marty Rauch says, “I’m excited to be the first Hot Dog Shoppe franchisee. But I’m more excited to be converting a closed Burger King for less than $400,000. Hot Dog Shoppe has created an exciting conversion program for closed [quick-service] franchise locations and it’s a great way to use surplus real estate. I’ll be looking for more of these types of closures as well as other closed [quick-service] locations.”

Greg Vojnovic, President of Shoppe Franchise Development, LLC says, “with the significant number of expected closures of fast-food restaurants from established brands like Burger King, we’ve created a conversion program specifically aimed at replacing expired or terminated franchise licenses. We designed a simple and low- cost conversion program with high impact.” With a primary offering of hot dogs, Hot Dog Shoppe does not have the operational complexity of other brands and provides a solution for sites with restrictive non-competes. Rauch added, “The simplicity of Hot Dog Shoppe’s operation means a very efficient business model. My operating team can focus on guest satisfaction, speed, and profitability”.

The Hot Dog Shoppe was founded in 1946 in Warren, OH and features a menu of hot dogs and chili dogs on a freshly steamed bun sold at crowd pleasing prices along with fresh cut French fries and hamburgers.