McAlister's Deli, a leading fast casual restaurant, announced it has signed agreements with four franchise groups to develop 21 new restaurants in seven states.
“The first half of 2013 has been off to a very successful start, and as part of our expansion plans, we are excited to bring McAlister’s hospitality to more markets around the country,” says Frank Paci, McAlister's Deli President and CEO. “McAlister’s has a loyal fan base and we are experiencing strong same store sales growth which is driving interest in additional development.”
The 21 new restaurants will be developed by three new franchise groups and a current McAlister’s franchisee. LLD Investments Inc. will develop four restaurants in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana with the first location scheduled to open this fall in Evansville, Indiana. Five restaurants will be developed in North Orange County, Florida, by Abundant Endeavors Inc. and WNY Restaurants Inc. will open five restaurants in Buffalo, New York. Southern Deli Holdings LLC, a current franchisee with 34 locations, plans to open another seven restaurants throughout North and South Carolina with Clemson, South Carolina slated for an August opening.
Over the past two years, McAlister’s has undertaken initiatives to strengthen its brand, including upgrading menu offerings and improving speed of service. McAlister’s was recently recognized by FastCasual.com as No. 2 on the Top 100 “Movers and Shakers” list of 2013, and Paci was named one of the “Top 20 People” in the industry to watch. Technomic also recognized McAlister’s as the top chain in the fast casual industry for food and beverage and as one of consumers’ Top 5 Favorite Chains in the country.
