Franchisees Benny Farzad and Farzin Ferdowsi, who signed a multi-unit agreement to expand Taziki’s Mediterranean Café in Texas, bonded right away.
Both entrepreneurs have roots in Iran, with Ferdowsi coming to the United States in 1985 and Farzad’s parents immigrating from there at a later time. Farzad said that shared background was key in helping them connect.
“We’ve really gotten along well, and that’s why we decided to do a partnership,” Farzad said. “There’s a very high level of mutual respect that was earned quickly.”
The two settled on Taziki’s because the brand approached Farzad about becoming a franchisee, and because Ferdowsi is good friends with the company’s leadership, Farzad said. After deciding on Taziki’s, the partners reached an agreement to acquire two existing locations in Dallas suburbs Plano and Southlake.
Additionally, the agreement will allow Farzad and Ferdowsi to develop an additional five units across the Dallas area in the next four years. Farzad said they have immediate plans to remodel the two existing restaurants, which they’ve been operating for about two weeks.
“Those two were the only ones in the state of Texas, so there’s a lot of room for growth in the state,” Farzad said. “It’s still very new to us, but so far, the sales are great and people love the food. It’s definitely been very well received, so we think there’s huge potential.”
Franchisee Benny Farzad.
While operating Taziki’s restaurants is new, both entrepreneurs bring plenty of franchise experience.
Farzad’s franchise career started nearly 11 years ago and he now owns 10 GNC stores and three Coolgreens restaurants in the Dallas area.
Ferdowsi, meanwhile, owns more than 80 restaurants and serves as a member of the Taco Bell Foundation. He’s also served in leadership roles with the Taco Bell Franchise Association.
The first of their five new Taziki’s restaurants is slated to open in the first quarter of 2023.
“Our goal is to start with our first location in a highly populated area, so then we can essentially hit a home run with our second,” Farzad said. “We want the brand to grow in the heart of Dallas, so that being the focal point of the metroplex, we think it will be important to get a location open there.”
They plan to build out the Dallas market to generate brand awareness.
“We want them to be near each other so they can share employees and brand recognition,” Farzad said. “Then we can grow out to where we cover most of the metro for a long-term vision. We believe Dallas-Fort Worth has the potential for 15 to 20 locations, if we’re able to meet our sales requirements. We think we can, based on the quality of our food, and we have a very strong broker who helps with real estate. It will probably be a five- to 10-year process.”
Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Taziki’s was founded in 1998 and today has more than 90 locations.