Ken Schanke and Audrey Poynton are expanding their restaurant portfolio with the addition of Teriyaki Madness. The duo operate four Jersey Mike’s Subs stores in northern Connecticut and signed a deal to develop three Teriyaki Madness units in the same area.
“We were one of the pioneers of Jersey Mike’s in the New England region, and we saw how important it was to have a consistently great product that is exciting and community-driven,” Schanke said in an announcement of the deal. “When we learned about Teriyaki Madness, it checked a lot of those same boxes.”
Schanke also noted the appeal of the business model, which is 80 percent takeout. “It isn’t a sit-down or fine-dining restaurant, and the online app is very user-friendly. That really aligns with what people want today,” he said.
Teriyaki Madness also signed a three-unit deal with Drew and Allie Phillips, who will open their restaurants in Chicago. The brand has more than 120 locations open.
Slim Chickens signed a new 13-unit agreement with existing franchisee Dennis Ekstrom for the whole state of Wyoming and the Las Vegas area. Ekstrom, who has experience operating Del Taco and Denny’s, previously signed a 10-unit deal to develop Slim Chickens in New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. He has one location open, in Farmington, New Mexico, and called Slim Chickens his “new love.”
Marco’s Pizza signed a seven-unit agreement for the Roanoke and Lynchburg areas of Virginia with existing franchisees Brandon Hudson and Damion Mason. The two already have five Marco’s locations open with three more in development across the state.
California-based rice bowl chain WaBa Grill is closing in on 200 locations.
WaBa Grill franchisees Gurpreeet and Navreet Boparai signed an agreement to open 20 more units of the rice bowl concept in the California markets of Fresno and Sacramento. The business duo own and operate three WaBa locations in Ventura County. Founded in 2006, there are now nearly 200 WaBa units.
Perspire Sauna Studio announced a new three-unit agreement with Jennifer and Josh Feliciano for New Jersey’s Bergen County. Jennifer’s background is as a mortgage loan officer, working for The Bank of New York, MetLife and AAG over a 25-year career. Perspire Sauna was founded in 2010 and has 27 studios open.
Phenix Salon Suites signed an agreement with Christina and Jack Gano to open two locations in Southern California. Christina brings experience as a COO for a management company while Jack is a real estate agent. The two plan to open their first unit in the Los Angeles area this winter. Founded in 2007, Phenix Salon Suites began franchising in 2012 and has more than 330 locations across 33 states.
Seafood brand Shuckin’ Shack signed a three-unit deal with restauranter Hunter Yung for the St. Louis area. Yung has experience working at both Olive Garden and Buffalo Wild Wings, and has been building restaurants for more than 20 years. Shuckin’ Shack currently has 16 locations.
Ohm Fitness customers can purchase their own $299 wireless bodysuit to receive electrical muscle stimulation during workouts.
Ohm Fitness signed an area developer agreement with Danielle Conklin, who plans to open 17 units across the San Diego area. Conklin has been a franchisee of other concepts such as Massage Envy, European Wax and Amazing Lash. Ohm Fitness, which specializes in electro muscle stimulation technology, was co-founded by Doug Payne, formerly with Orangetheory Fitness.
Southern California-based Habit Burger Grill signed a deal with existing operator Stan Singh to add seven restaurants and two food trucks to the entrepreneur’s portfolio. Singh originally purchased five Habit Burger units in 2021. Founded in 1969 and bought by Yum Brands in 2020, there are now more than 330 Habit Burger restaurants in 14 states, as well as 13 international locations.
Slim Chickens signed an agreement to expand in cities across Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee with existing multi-unit operating company DHR Group. Co-owned by entrepreneur Scott Davis, the DHR Group operates more than 40 Sonic Drive-Ins and in 2020 signed its first multi-unit agreement with Slim Chickens. The latest agreement is for eight additional units. Founded in 2003, Slim Chickens has more than 160 locations across the United States and the United Kingdom.
Entrepreneurs Milan Dalsania and Ashish Javia signed an agreement to open four Urban Air Adventure Parks in Pennsylvania. The duo already own and operate an Urban Air unit in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Dalsania brings franchise experience having owned Dunkin’ and Planet Fitness locations. Urban Air Adventure Park was founded in 2011 and has more than 159 locations.
El Pollo Loco, a fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain, signed a four-unit development agreement for the Seattle area with Jean-Paul Pirio, a restaurant industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience. He owns five restaurants and bars throughout south Puget Sound. In operation since 1980, El Pollo Loco has nearly 500 restaurants.
Twin Peaks signed a development agreement with JEB Food Group to bring four more units to the Louisville, Kentucky, area. JFB Food Group, helmed by John Hong, Brent Irish and Ed Williams, operates Twin Peaks locations in Beavercreek and West Chester, Ohio, as well as Florence, Kentucky. Twin Peaks has nearly 100 locations across the United States and Mexico.
International Development News
TGI Fridays reached a development agreement with Universal Success Enterprises to open 75 new restaurants across south and southeast Asia over the next 10 years. Headquartered in Singapore, Universal Success Enterprises previously introduced Outback Steakhouse to markets in the region and operates three TGI Fridays. TGI Fridays has close to 400 international locations to go along with its roughly 300 domestic restaurants.
FAT Brands, parent company of Marble Slab Creamery and 16 other restaurant concepts, signed a deal with Menafex to open 10 new locations in Egypt. The agreement has Marble Slab Creamery opening locations over the next 10 years, with the first unit set to open by the end of 2023 in Cairo.
Entrepreneur Farhiell Exil signed a master franchise agreement with Wayback Burgers to bring the brand to the Dominican Republic. The agreement has Exil opening eight units over an eight-year period, with the first set to open in the nation’s capital, Santo Domingo, in early 2023. Founded in 1991, Wayback Burgers has more than 166 locations.
Dunkin’ signed a multi-unit license agreement for the Mexico City area with the Moussali Group. Helmed by Frederic Moussali, the Moussali Group has more than 30 years of experience in the quick-service restaurant industry. The first Dunkin’ location for Mexico City is set to open in late 2022. Dunkin’ has more than 12,900 locations in 40 countries.