Smalls Sliders, the innovative cheeseburger slider brand, is continuing its impressive Southeast expansion with 5 Cans coming to Houston alongside franchise operators Lisa Albert and Steve Cavaliere.
Albert is a highly accomplished franchisee with an 18-year background in the restaurant industry, including previous ownership of 41 Pizza Hut restaurants and 67 Hardee’s. Cavaliere is the key operator of 14 Pizza Hut locations and has over 35 years in the restaurant industry with extensive experience in growing companies and developing restaurants for Pizza Hut, McCalister’s Deli, Surf N Chicken and more.
“It is incredibly exciting to join the Smalls Sliders brand. The concept is reshaping the entire landscape of the [quick-service] industry, and as someone who has been in the restaurant business for many years, you don’t see this kind of buzz about a concept very often. Ownership with Smalls Sliders allows me to build a business based on my know-how in burgers and operations,” said Albert. “Steve is super pumped to sign his first deal as a franchisee with such an incredible brand as Small Sliders. We look forward to this phase of our restaurant journey with Smalls Sliders and dropping as many cans as possible.”
The duo aims to open their first Can in Q3 of 2024 with the remaining 4 locations to follow. Albert and Cavaliere are actively exploring potential development site opportunities in the Pasadena, Baytown, Mont Belvieu, Summerwood, Deer Park and East Houston areas.
“We’ve set the stage for a fantastic year in 2024, and this latest agreement with Lisa and Steve only furthers our incredible development efforts,” says Maria Rivera, CEO of Smalls Sliders. “We’re proud to work with seasoned operators like Lisa and Steve who recognize the impact our brand is having on the industry. We’re confident that this agreement will allow us to elevate the Smalls Sliders brand in the Houston market and contribute to further growth nationwide.”
Smalls Sliders opened its first signature ‘Smorange’ colored Can in 2019. Since its inception, Smalls Sliders has disrupted the quick-service industry with its stacked leadership team and robust development pipeline, furthering its rapid growth trajectory with more than 160 Cans open or under development. The brand continues to garner high-level industry recognition with QSR Magazine ranking the brand in its annual QSR 50 Contenders list.
