Recent deals at Slim Chickens have the brand expanding domestically and internationally. In the United States, the chicken brand signed an agreement with Slims Southern Boys to open at least four units in Alabama and Georgia. The company is a family effort, led by Johnny Griggs, his brother and two cousins. The group has 35 years of experience owning and operating franchises, including Culver’s and Firehouse Subs.
In Germany, meanwhile, the brand signed a 20-unit development deal with Foodelity Group. An established multi-unit operator, Foodelity Group is a sub-franchisee of Boparan Restaurant Group, which partnered with Slim Chickens to bring the brand to the United Kingdom and has dozens of locations open.
Fast-casual brand Fuzzy’s Taco Shop signed a pair of multi-unit agreements to expand in Arizona and Texas. In Arizona, existing franchisee Marc Rogers of Rogers Restaurant Group, which already has 16 Fuzzy’s stores, signed a 15-unit deal. In Texas, Hnreck Nazarian of Nazarian Global Enterprises signed a deal for 25 locations for the Houston market. Nazarian also owns 23 IHOP restaurants. Founded in 2003, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has 128 locations in 18 states.
Marco’s Pizza signed a 15-unit deal to expand the brand’s Midwest presence in Indiana and Ohio. The agreement is with Grube, Inc., founded by Steve Grube, which has 67 Buffalo Wild Wings locations and one Rusty Taco unit. Based in Ohio, Marco’s Pizza has more than 1,200 locations across 34 states.
Marco’s Pizza continues to build its presence in the category with multi-unit agreements.
Dill Dinkers Pickleball inked a 15-unit deal for northern Virginia. The agreement is with entrepreneur Vanessa Economos, who has a 25-year background in global marketing and experience in healthcare services and real estate. An emerging Brand, Dill Dinkers was founded in 2022 and has four units in Maryland.
CKE Restaurants Holdings signed a master license agreement with Boparan Restaurant Group to develop Carls’ Jr. restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Boparan Restaurant Group franchises several brands including Fishworks and Slim Chickens. Carl’s Jr. has a European presence in Denmark, France, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey with nearly 100 units.
Blo Blow Dry Bar is set to enter California’s Orange County market after signing a three-unit agreement. The deal is with husband-and-wife team Brandon and Leanne Anderson. Brandon Anderson brings more than a decade of experience as a franchise consultant, while Leanne Anderson has worked in financial services and the healthcare industry. Established in in 2007, Blo Blow Dry Bar has more than 150 units across the U.S. and Canada.
Smalls Sliders signed a nine-unit deal to expand in Texas with existing franchisee group ProsperBites. The new agreement adds to the group’s initial deal from January to develop five locations in Dallas. Founded in 2019, Smalls Sliders has 14 restaurants open, the majority of them in Louisiana.
Electronics retail brand PayMore signed a five-unit agreement with a group of experienced franchisees. The trio of Milo Leakehe, Jake Brady and Zachary McKinley, who are franchisees with Crumbl, signed on to open stores in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. Founded in 2011, PayMore has 27 stores open.
Based in Canada, Blo Blow Dry Bar, a hair care concept, has more than 150 units in North America.
Los Angeles-based Dave’s Hot Chicken signed a seven-unit deal for the St. Louis market. The agreement is with existing operator Raj Patel, who will develop the locations through his company, The Hari Group, which also has 90 Dunkin’ units. Patel is also a franchisee with McAlister’s Deli. Founded in 2017, Dave’s Hot Chicken hit 200 units in March.
Mountain Mike’s Pizza inked a pair of three-unit agreements to expand the brand in Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both deals are with brothers and entrepreneurs Jasmeet and Ranbir Shergill, who intend to open their first location in Green Bay by the end of the year. Founded in 1978, California-based Mountain Mike’s has nearly 300 locations open.
Perspire Sauna Studio signed an agreement to build its presence in the Atlanta market. The deal is with Amanda Arboleda Ridley, an Atlanta business consultant, for three studios. Founded in 2010, Perspire Sauna Studio has 54 units open, including four in Atlanta.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii is continuing to grow in Florida with a three-unit agreement. The deal is with Terri and Jessie Simmons who plan to open locations in Daytona Beach. Terri Simmons brings experience from the medical field while Jessie Simmons is an Air Force veteran who studied hospitality management. Founded in 1989, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii has more than 30 U.S. locations.
BurritoBar USA, the U.S. sister brand of Canada-based BarBurrito, signed a master franchise agreement for the state of Ohio with Sarang Franchising, led by Tushar and Yogesh Patel. The brothers are also Dunkin’ franchisees. BurritoBar, which is focused on master deals as it pushes U.S. expansion, also signed an agreement for southern Illinois with Bhavin Patel. Patel and his family have been longtime Subway operators. BarBurrito was established in 2005 and has 300 locations in Canada. In 2020, it expanded to the U.S. under the name BurritoBar.