PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, an international coffeehouse franchise, known for its premium beverages and southern hospitality, reports the company’s strongest year of growth, adding 62 new franchise agreements for 2021.
Over 80 percent of the expansion consisted of welcoming new franchisees to the PJ’s Family, in addition to existing owners who expanded to further capture market share of the $50 billion dollar and growing U.S. coffee industry.
Following the brand’s continuous growth, PJ’s Coffee jumped up 157 spots on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2022 Franchise 500 list, one of the most competitive franchise rankings. Each brand is evaluated by growth, number of units, costs, franchise support, brand strength and financial strength & stability.
Over the past 24 months, PJ’s has opened over 40 new locations resulting in 39% brand expansion. Brand momentum continues as drive-thru sales climb, making up 65% of the company’s total sales for 2021 and system-wide same-store sales increased by 19 percent. Throughout the pandemic, the franchise was able to leverage their drive-thru operations at select locations, and add signature new menu items like the infamous beignets.
“We are happy to see these numbers continuously grow, especially during a time where the [quick-service] industry is seeing a large impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our numbers display a great level of performance by our franchisees, proving that our team works hard to recruit franchisees that are a great fit for the brand,” said Vice President of Franchise Development, Ryan Stansbury. “Ultimately, our brand culture exhibits the Southern hospitality flare that continues to bring about new franchise candidates, make breakthroughs within the market and open successful shops despite the current economic climate.”
The brand will continue to expand throughout Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Texas while entering new markets in Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nevada and Virginia in 2022.
