Papa Johns signed a 50-unit agreement with its largest domestic franchisee, The Bajco Group. Led by Nadeem Bajwa, the group will open the 50 Papa John’s restaurants over the next five years, with growth planned in the Midwest, Arizona, Florida and Pennsylvania. Globally, Papa Johns has more than 5,700 locations.
Fatburger parent company FAT Brands signed a 40-unit co-branding development deal for northern California. Franchisee California Burger Inc. will add the Fatburger concept to 40 Round Table Pizza locations over the next 10 years. Along with Fatburger and Round Table Pizza, FAT Brands has 16 other restaurant companies and more than 2,300 units worldwide.
Food from the fast-casual brand Fatburger, set for growth with additional multi-unit deals.
Slim Chickens inked a 25-unit agreement to grow in Virginia with Mid-Atlantic Restaurant Group. The group is backed by Bharat Patel, Bhavin Patel and Pranav Shah, who are multi-unit owner-operators in the restaurant and hospitality industries with 30 years of experience. Launched in 2003, Slim Chickens is a fast-casual brand with more than 260 units.
Vicious Biscuit, an emerging breakfast concept, signed a 10-unit agreement for two Florida markets. Matt Strickland, also multi-unit Zaxby’s and Mellow Mushroom franchisee, signed the deal to open locations in Duval and St. John’s counties. Launched in 2018, Vicious Biscuit has eight units open.
Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy signed a 10-unit agreement with Chandi Hospitality Group. Based in Santa Rosa, California, and also a Mountain Mike’s Pizza franchisee, the group plans to open locations in and around the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. The group’s units will be the first standalone locations for Chicken Guy, as the existing spots are inside mall, stadium and travel locations such as King of Prussia Mall, Levi’s Stadium and Los Angeles International Airport.
Fast-casual concept Noodles & Company signed a 10-unit agreement with DND Group to expand in Oregon. As part of the agreement, DND, led by Dara Dejbakhsh, acquired six Noodles restaurants; its new development will focus on the Portland market. A multi-brand operator, DND’s other franchise brands include Dairy Queen, Zaxby’s, Taco John’s and Paris Baguette. Noodles & Company has more than 450 locations open.
Dishes from the fast-casual brand Noodles & Company.
Electronics retail brand Paymore signed a nine-unit agreement for the Kansas City market. The deal is with Paul Kushnir, who has more than 30 years of experience in the wireless industry and was the largest Sprint dealer. Kushnir also help start Phone Medic, which became electronics repair franchise uBreakiFix and is now owned by Asurion. PayMore, founded in 2011, has 25 locations open across the U.S.
Fitness concept Pvolve signed a five-unit agreement for the Houston market. The deal is with Mark To, Hanh To and Shawn Bishop, a trio of entrepreneurs who’ve introduced several wellness brands to Houston over the last 20 years, including Massage Envy and Phenix Salon Suites.
Education concept Sylvan Learning signed a deal for three territories in Iowa with existing franchisees April Samp and Jeff Hohensee. The two already own four locations in the state, signing with Sylvan Learning in 2020, and will add the new units in the Des Moines area. Founded in 1979, Sylvan Learning has more than 710 locations and earlier this year was acquired by Unleashed Brands.
Smoothie King inked a pair of deals to expand its presence in the Las Vegas market. One agreement is with new franchisees Brandie and Dustin Rasmussen to open four units. Brandie Rasmussen brings more than 15 years of experience in technology, while Dustin Rasmussen is a U.S. Air Force Veteran. The other deal, for three units, is with Na’im Muhammad, a longtime franchisee. Founded in 1973, Smoothie King today has more than 1,300 units worldwide.
Schmackary’s, a New York City-based cookie concept, signed a six-unit agreement to grow in Long Island. The deal is with Brenda Grayson, who’s worked in finance and operations roles with Ernst and Young and Morgan Stanley. Emerging brand Schmackary’s launched its franchise program in 2023.
Little Caesars is the third largest pizza brand in the U.S.
Little Caesars is growing in Southern California with a nine-unit deal. Existing franchisee Leo Gonzalez, who owns Little Caesars locations in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, signed on to add nine restaurants in San Diego over the next four years. Little Caesars has more than 5,470 global locations.
Cicis Pizza inked a six-unit agreement with existing owners Frank and Judy Rogers for the Dallas market. The Rogers opened their first Cicis in 1990 and have more than 10 already in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Founded in 1983, Texas-based Cicis Pizza has more than 300 restaurants across 20-plus states. The pizza buffet chain is working to restart development after its sale in 2021 to D&G Investors.