I Heart Mac & Cheese, the fast-casual concept specializing in customizable made-to-order macaroni and cheese bowls and grilled cheese sandwiches, has set enormous goals for 2022 as the franchise finished 2021 with tremendous growth performance. The restaurant concept signed 47 franchise agreements in 2021 and will be opening over 75 stores in 2022. I Heart Mac & Cheese will also be opening new locations in over ten new states, marking the franchise’s first locations in those states. 

The benchmark deals will bring I Heart Mac & Cheese locations into Alabama, Arkansas,  Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. The fast-growing brand wants to keep the drive going by targeting new markets nationwide. Their tremendous growth also contributed to the Franchise selling two corporate stores.

“Navigating the pandemic has been challenging for the restaurant industry, during the start of the pandemic we knew we had to rethink the way we did things to continue to expand. We set a deep focus on providing our franchise family with the right tools for success,” says CEO and Chairman Stephen Giordanella. “Last year we invested in a corporate training facility that includes a full-service training restaurant, a test kitchen, a new website, expanding our in-house marketing and training teams, redoing our website, adding a mobile app, and store redesigns.”

With a home office in South Florida, I Heart Mac & Cheese offers franchise owner training, marketing support, and ongoing development opportunities to ensure each location’s success. I Heart Mac & Cheese is open to adding new franchisees nationwide.