Bill Church, executive director of Food Service and Retail Development for MZD Advertising; Allan Zukerman, chairman/CEO of MZD; and Escape Enterprises Ltd. are looking to redefine and expand Steak Escape, a popular restaurant chain with a wide potential for extended growth.
Since 1982, the Steak Escape name and reputation for fresh, quality food has been recognized throughout North America and beyond.
The restaurants are in 24 states and three countries, offering a made-to-order menu of subs, fresh-cut fries, salads, wraps, and “Smashed Potatoes.” The centerpiece of all the restaurants is the grill, where the food is prepared fresh before the customers’ eyes.
“Steak Escape has an absolutely dynamic menu featuring Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, a great steakburger, killer salads, fresh-cut fries, and a great baked potato,” Church says. “If serving great food keeps people coming back, this is the answer. They have affordable prices and a great experience.”
Church says that Steak Escape has enjoyed a lot of success in malls but they are looking to redefine their image.
“They are branching out and looking for new markets and new opportunities such as in-line strip centers or freestanding locations,” Church says. “One very viable opportunity lies in the non-traditional market in c-stores in travel centers.”
“For a generation, Steak Escape has been providing great, fresh, hot, quality food to mall patrons across America,” says Jeffrey Fix, vice president of development for Escape Enterprises Ltd. “Today the brand is expanding its effort to offer America’s favorite cheesesteak, fresh-cut fries, and char-grilled burgers by building free standing units and strip-center locations designed to make it easier for loyal fans to get the great food they grew up loving in the mall food court.”
“Steak Escape has always strived for the absolute best quality of ingredients and the same level of excellence in the smallest of details goes into our franchising,” says Ken Smith, chairman of Escape Enterprises Ltd.
To help franchisees, Escape Enterprises Ltd. offers a variety of support at start-up and on an ongoing basis from experts in construction, marketing, and business operations.
The company is looking for investor partners who will fund corporate markets that will be sold as franchises in 24–36 months at a significant profit for the investor.
“The franchisee wins an existing, proven business at fair market value with minimized risk,” Fix says.