Breakfast brand Eggs Up Grill signed a trio of multi-unit agreements to grow in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. In North Carolina, the franchise signed a 10-unit agreement for Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro with Pankaj Parmar and Tahir Kakar, who have experience owning convenience stores, gas stations, dry cleaners and hotels.
Eggs Up Grill also signed a seven-unit deal with existing franchisee Conley McIntyre, who will open six restaurants in Charlotte and one in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. Additionally, Eggs Up Grill signed a deal for three restaurants in Knoxville, Tennessee, with Ken Bates, who owned 24 Little Caesars. Established in 1997, Eggs Up Grill has 87 restaurants.
Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux will expand in Georgia and Tennessee after signing a deal for 20 restaurants. The franchisee is Port Royal Brands, which was founded by Phil Sanford, who previously owned the Krystal brand. First opened in 2003, Walk-On’s has nearly 80 locations in the United States.
Potbelly in 2021 underwent a menu revamp aimed at improving the value perception of its sandwiches, adding more meats and cheeses.
Potbelly, a Chicago-based sandwich concept, is entering Georgia with a 15-unit agreement. The deal for the Atlanta market is with existing Potbelly franchisee Royal Restaurant Group, which earlier this year signed a 40-shop agreement for Ohio and Florida. Potbelly has more than 425 locations in the U.S.
K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel signed a deal to develop 11 locations across the Los Angeles area. The agreement is with Luxury Pet Hotel Investments, formerly Partners Pacific Resorts, which will also open eight locations in Chicago and 11 in the Washington D.C. metro. Earlier this year, Luxury Pet Hotel Investments invested $10 million into the brand. Founded in 2005, K9 Resorts has more than 170 locations throughout 28 states.
Pickleball concept Dill Dinkers signed a 10-unit agreement for eastern Florida. Developing the units is Lanette Rosales, who has nearly 40 years of experience as a purchasing manager with Bechtel. Since its inception in November 2022, Dill Dinkers has grown to 15 locations across seven states.
Wellness brand FYZICAL signed a pair of multi-unit agreements to grow in two states. One of the deals is for five locations in St. George, Utah, and was signed by the husband-and-wife duo of Mitch and Elizabeth Saling. Mitch Saling is an RN in oncology, while Elizabeth Saling brings experience in corporate roles at companies like Microsoft, Adobe and Salesforce.
The other deal will allow entrepreneur Chris Correnti to develop six units in Westborough, Massachusetts. In addition to a background in consumer service experience, he has also been a restaurant operator the past eight years. Founded in 2012, FYZICAL today has more than 575 locations across 46 states.
Sandwich brand Cheba Hut will enter Virginia with a 10-unit agreement. Behind the development is existing franchisee WAHI Brands, led by Isaac Montoya. In addition to Cheba Hut, WAHI Brands is a franchisee of Anytime Fitness and Dave’s Hot Chicken. Founded in 1998, Cheba Hut has more than 70 shops in 15 states.
Cheba Hut is developing in new markets with multi-unit deals.
Dave’s Hot Chickenis teaming up with its original franchisees to grow in Arkansas and Missouri. Business partners Deryl Pangelinan, Sean Varvello, Andrew Feghali and Lawrence Kourie will open seven restaurants between the states. The four previously signed on to develop locations in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Virginia. Since its start in 2017, Dave’s Hot Chicken has grown to more than 215 locations.
Georgia-based chicken concept Zaxby’s is continuing its push up along the East Coast with a six-unit agreement for New Jersey. The franchisee is GSP Group, led by Premanand Gupta. The venture isn’t Gupta’s first in the restaurant space; he has experience with Dunkin’ and Subway. Zaxby’s has more than 950 units across 17 states.
Indoor trampoline park brand Sky Zone inked a pair of three-unit deals for the Austin and Seattle markets. The former is with franchisee group Kersan Partners, which includes a mix of existing and new Sky Zone owners. The Seattle development, meanwhile, is with entrepreneurs Abhishek Sinha, an IT professional, and Pushpinder Singh, who brings a background in real estate. Established in 2004, Sky Zone has more than 270 locations.
Retailer Batteries Plus is expanding its Texas footprint with a five-unit agreement. The deal is with the husband-and-wife team Liz and Jay McKee. Liz McKee has a 30-year background in direct sales while Jay McKee has 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Established in 1988, Batteries Plus has more than 800 stores nationwide.
Pestmaster is growing its presence in Texas with a deal to develop five Dallas locations. Signing on are Raj Borelli and Naveela Kaza, who have a background in real estate development. Launched in 1979, Pestmaster has more than 50 locations nationwide.
Laundry and dry-cleaning services concept Tide Cleaners inked a five-unit agreement for the St. Paul, Minnesota, market. Signing the deal is former Target executive Rob Parke. Founded in 2008 and franchising since 2009, Tide Cleaners has more than 230 locations nationwide.
Tide Cleaners is developing in Minnesota via a five-unit deal.
Virtual reality entertainment brand Sandbox VR is set to expand along the East Coast via a four-unit agreement. LOL Entertainment, led by CEO Rob Cooper, will open units in Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Established in 2016, Sandbox VR has 50 global locations.
Toppers Pizza inked a deal to continue building its presence in Nebraska with four new units. The agreement is with franchisees Ross Lerner and Lori Irvin, who will develop locations over the next four and half years. The duo also purchased three existing Nebraska restaurants and another in South Dakota. Founded in 1991, Toppers Pizza has 70 units.
Radiant Waxing signed a four-unit agreement for the St. Louis market, teaming with sisters Hoda Deluvia and Neda Abdiannia. This marks the second deal the duo has made with a WellBiz Brands concept, as the two already signed on to open an Amazing Lash Studio location as well. Radiant Waxing has more than 65 locations open now.
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery inked a pair of multi-unit agreements to grow in New Jersey and Texas. For the latter, Perkins signed a three-unit deal with entrepreneur Sam Atkinson, who will open restaurants in the Dallas area. In New Jersey, the brand signed on for 10 units with the mother-son duo of Lisa Dalton and Anthony Degrande. The new franchisees will be developing Perkins’ new Griddle & Go prototype, a smaller version of the restaurant. Launched in 1958, Perkins has more than 260 locations.
Perkins is growing with its new Griddle & Go prototype.
Mini-burger concept Smalls Sliders is continuing to fill out the Southeast region. The brand signed a four-unit agreement for Georgia with DPC Smalls Investments, led by Doug Cone. This marks an additional deal for DPC Smalls, after already signing on to develop 20 units in Georgia and Florida. Backed by 10 Point Capital and former NFL star Drew Brees, Smalls Sliders has 19 locations.
Rolling Suds, a residential and commercial power washing brand, inked a development deal for four territories across Orange County, California. The agreement is with Dan Brennan, who has more than two decades of experience in corporate roles, including time at a Fortune 500 company. Rolling Suds was founded in 1990 and began franchising January 2023.
McAlister’s Deli signed a three-unit agreement for the Milwaukee area with an experienced franchisee. Yash Patel, who has a background owning Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations and Subway restaurants, as well as c-stores, signed the deal for the Wisconsin development. Part of the GoTo Foods portfolio, McAlister’s Deli was founded in 1989 and has about 550 units in 30 states.
Phenix Salon Suites is doubling down on its efforts to develop in the Dallas market, signing a three-unit deal. The new franchisee is Kedar Nigudkar, who has a background as a financial services executive and real estate investor. He intends to have his first unit open by mid-2025. Founded in 2007 and franchising since 2012, Phenix Salon Suites has 400 locations across 33 states.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii inked a three-unit deal to expand in South Carolina with the father-daughter duo Doug and Abby Epperly. Doug Epperly has 30 years of experience in the global supply chain space, while his daughter is a University of Louisville graduate and MBA student.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is continuing its expansion in the Southeast.
Education brand Celebree School is entering the state of Colorado with a two-unit agreement for the Denver metro area. The franchisees are Edward Freehart and Andrea Frink, who bring experience in business relations and early education, respectively. Founded in 1994 and franchising since 2019, Celebree School has more than 50 locations.
Salata Salad Kitchen is building out its Texas presence with another two locations. The brand signed a deal for two locations in Waco and Temple with entrepreneur Stephanie Estes, who brings 15 years of event space management experience. Established in 2005, Salata Salad Kitchen has more than 100 locations in five states.
Staffing franchise AtWork signed an agreement for two territories in Arkansas. The deal is with entrepreneur Mike Beazer, who brings experience as an engineer, most recently working for a major aircraft manufacturer. Launched in 1986, AtWork has nearly 90 locations.
International News
Fast casual brand Slim Chickens will enter Poland with a 50-unit development agreement. The deal is with existing franchisee organization Boparan Restaurant Group, which operates more than 50 locations in the United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey. The chicken concept, first opened in 2003, has nearly 300 locations globally.
Dallas-based fitness brand Gold’s Gym signed an agreement with entrepreneur Tony Caparotta to develop 17 locations in Toronto. Caparotta, who has a fitness industry background, plans to have the first unit open in 2025. Gold’s Gym is part of the RSG Group portfolio and has 600 locations worldwide.
Buffet concept Golden Corral is continuing to build its presence in Puerto Rico with an existing franchisee. Justin Tirri, who owns locations in two Puerto Rican cities with another two under construction, signed a deal to develop an additional pair of Golden Corral units. Tirri is also a franchisee with brands Pizza@ and Krystal. Established in 1973, Golden Corral has more than 350 locations.