Penn Station East Coast Subs, the fast-casual restaurant known for its fresh grilled, made-to-order sub sandwiches, hand-squeezed lemonade, and fresh-cut fries, has signed a 10-unit agreement for northeast Atlanta with a franchisee group led by Rusty Clifton. The group will open 10 restaurants over the next five years, with the first location opening this month in Suwanee, Georgia. They are targeting Alpharetta, Cumming, Roswell, Buford, Johns Creek, Norcross, Duluth, and Lawrenceville for future locations.

Cincinnati-based Penn Station features fresh grilled sub sandwiches—including the chain’s renowned Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich—and cold deli sandwiches made to order with high-quality ingredients on hearth-baked bread. The menu also includes fresh-cut fries, hand-squeezed lemonade, and chocolate chunk cookies baked daily in the restaurant. Penn Station has more than 290 locations in 15 states with a better than 99.9 percent success rate and only two store closings in 30 years.

“We believe that consumers today are more educated and demanding of both quality product and quality service, and Penn Station clearly excels in both areas,” Clifton says. “We met personally with many franchisees of many different concepts and brands, we combed through numerous franchise disclosure documents, and we tracked industry trends and analytics. From all of our research, we chose Penn Station based on its rich history, the quality of the brand, and the superior food.”

Born and raised in Georgia, Clifton is leading a group of five investor-partners who have known each other for over 35 years.

“Our team of investor-partners has had a life-long dream of joining forces and pursuing an opportunity in the food industry,” Clifton says. “We believe in the franchise model, and our team was committed to finding a reputable brand with a quality product and proven success. We are very excited to give Georgia residents the opportunity to enjoy a great grilled sub together with hand-cut fries and hand-squeezed lemonade.”