Smashburger, the six-year old chain of quick casual ‘better burger’ restaurants has just added four new franchisees that will add over 50 new restaurants and see the chain expand in five markets, four of which are in the East Coast region. Smashburger has partnered with Robert Marshall of Bamaberto LLC to expand the brand’s presence in Atlanta with 23 new restaurants set to open over the next few years. In addition to the new units, Marshall and his team will acquire five existing Smashburger locations. The chain will also add about 18 units in the Orlando and Jacksonville markets in Florida through a partnership with Ray Ruiz and Wellesley Bromfield of Two Spurs, LLC.
In Charlotte in North Carolina, Smashburger has partnered with Steven Taylor, Chris Smith and Jay Kikel of CapQueen3 to open six new restaurants in Charlotte over the next few years. Taylor and Smith are current owners of the Smashburger in Columbia in South Carolina. In California, Smashburger has partnered with husband and wife team Emon and Ladonna Toliver of NorCal Restaurant Group to debut Smashburger in the Oakland area with nine new restaurant locations. These commitments bring the total active franchise pipeline to approximately 400 units set to open over the next several years. As a part of the company’s ongoing commitment to expand operations across all fifty states, the agreements launch Smashburger into new markets in Oakland and Orlando, in addition to further extending its footprint in Atlanta, Charlotte and Jacksonville.
Rick Schaden, with funding by private equity firm Consumer Capital Partners, introduced the concept in 2007 offering fresh, premium ‘smashed-to-order’ burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, signature side items and hand-spun Häagen-Dazs shakes. Today, with more than 240 corporate and franchise restaurants operating in 30 states and in four international countries, the restaurants have become known for localizing its menu in every market with regionally inspired burgers, side items and local craft beers. Smashburger remains on track to grow its unit count by approximately 30 percent in 2013. The company plans to open seven to nine additional restaurants, putting its year-end target above 250 units. The company is also actively seeking franchise partners to develop and grow the brand domestically and internationally in Chicago, Miami, Seattle and Canada. The chain traditionally targets 1600 to 2200 square foot end cap or in-line locations with 40 to 70 seats. Exclusive patio areas are welcomed. In mid-November, the company announced that Scott Crane has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Crane has been the company’s President for the past six years.
CATEGORY: Quick Casual
Chain Name: Smashburger
Company Name: Smashburger Master LLC
Street Address: 1515 Arapahoe St., Tower One, 10th Floor, Denver, Colorado 80202
Tel: 303/633-1500 Fax:
Email: realestate@smashburger.com & franchise@smashburger.com Website: www.smashburger.com
Menu Specialty: Fresh, premium ‘smashed-to-order’ burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, signature side items, Haagen-Dazs shakes, local craft beers.
Introduced: 2007 by Rick Schaden
No. of Locations: Will end 2013 with over 250 locations in 30 states and four countries.
Areas of Operation: United States, Canada
Types of Location: End Caps, in-line
BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv): Franchise & Corporate
Size Req’d: 1600 to 2200 square feet with 40 to 70 seats, Patio preferred with 20 to 40 seats
Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc): At least 75,000 people within three miles in major metropolitan markets, 50,000 people within three miles in secondary markets, average household incomes in excess of $60,000, Preferred parking for 20 to 25, Patio preferred.
Contact Name: Scott Crane – CEO
Chris Chang – CFO
Greg Creighton – COO
Jeremy Morgan – Sen. Vice President, Marketing, Consumer Insights
REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:
FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:
PARENT COMPANY: Consumer Capital Partners, Denver, Colorado (tel: 303/592-3800)
Related Chains:
Last Report: Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #107 Last Update:
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