WOWorks platform company Barberitos has 43 locations. Founded in 20000, the brand began franchising in 2022.
Of the six restaurant brands that Kelly Roddy owns with the WOWorks platform, he gets particularly excited talking about Barberitos, a Southwestern grille and cantina concept.
That’s because the fast-casual burrito, taco and nacho company that was repositioned earlier this year with two new prototypes restaurant designs is doing the best when it comes to unit growth and overall store performance.
“We have 43 Barberitos currently open and they’re performing exceptionally well with 10 percent positive traffic growth. We also have a real good pipeline in place that guarantees us strong growth with two 10-unit development deals in Alabama,” said Roddy, whose WOWorks platform of includes Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, ZEats and The Simple Greek.
Kelly Roddy is the CEO of WOWorks.
Roddy pointed out Barberitos finalized two 10-unit development agreements in Alabama with a pair of franchisees new to the system.
The latest development deal for Barberitos was signed by Haresh and Anjal Patel who’s newly-formed Anjal Barberitos restaurant group is a subsidiary of POS Properties, a Montgomery, Alabama-based investment company.
The Patels, who operate 10 American Deli stores in Alabama, plan to open their first two Barberitos in Wetumpka and Prattville, Alabama, in January. Their partnership with WOWorks also includes opening Frutta Bowls, which features healthy bowls and smoothies featuring acai, pitaya and kale, in their ZTEC gas stations.
“We wanted to add an authentic Mexican kind of thing to our portfolio and when we stopped at a Barberitos in Atlanta we really liked the food. We reached out to the chief development officer for WOWorks and discussed the possibility of opening restaurants in Alabama where we’re located,” said Anjal Patel, who explained he’s an equal partner in his uncle Haresh Patel’s investment company and oversees its restaurant business as chief operational officer.
“We feel the Frutta Bowls will make our gas stations more like travel centers where people will love tasty and healthy bowls. We’re going to put the Frutta Bowl counters in the middle island of our stations to give customers more food choices,” said Patel before flying to India this week for his wedding.
Along with their extensive restaurant experience operating American Delis the last decade, Roddy said the thing that impressed him most about the Patels was their enthusiasm and preparation.
“When you get calls from people interested in becoming a partner with your brands, you pick up right away on their level of engagement and the quality of their questions. I was very impressed with the thought they put into their planning. They basically came with their entire strategy mapped out, which was very unusual,” Roddy said.
“They have a ton of energy and they laid it all out for us; where they were going to put their Barberitos and Frutta Bowls locations this year and the next year,” he continued. “They literally had it all it planned out for the next five years, month by month, which is amazing. They’re exactly the kind of partners you want.”
Roddy said that while the Patels are already on track to hit their first-year milestones with their two new WOWorks brands, his St. Petersburg-based company, which was formed in 2020 and is owned by Centre Lane Partners, remains committed to getting young people hooked early on healthy eating. He said the company now boasts 355 units across its six brands with 30 restaurant openings this year.
Related story: Saladworks Parent Aims to Harness Power of Young Consumers to Propel Growth
The first Barberitos and Frutta Bowls co-branded store is set to open next month in Auburn, Alabama, in January with franchisee Mark Weeks, the former president and COO of Brick & Spoon Restaurants. He previously had executive roles with Starbucks and Yum Brands.
Roddy said Frutta Bowls has grown from its original location in Freehold, New Jersey, to 40 locations across 16 states. Barberitos has 43 locations open in eight Southeastern states with vast majority of them in its home state of Georgia with 21 locations. Average unit volumes are about $782,000 with the middle two tiers of the system coming in at $666,279 and $850,530, according to franchise disclosure document.
WOWorks has unveiled its reimagined Barberitos restaurant design in in Temple Terrace, Florida, in October. WOWorks acquired the brand in 2022 as part of an aggressive push to build up its platform through acquisitions. It bought Zoup Eatery, which was later rebranded as ZEats, that same year.
“It looks like we will end the year selling 18 deals equal to 57 units with various size multi-unit deals,” Roddy said about the WOWorks platform of restaurant brands. “We have a pipeline now of stores that are signed but not opened yet of around 115 units. 2025 looks to be a good year for openings.”