50 Ziggi’s Coffee units will be developed in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Ziggi’s Coffee is planning a major push into the Atlanta metro this year after signing a 50-unit development agreement. Karim Badani and Rafiq Lightwala are the first franchisees to sign a deal of this scale for the brand, and will be building the Atlanta market for years to come.
“When I was in high school, my mom used to work at a Dunkin’ Donuts, one of our competitors at this point,” said Badani. “I remember going over there for summers and helping her out, and coffee is just something that has been on my radar.”
Lightwala’s background is in marketing and he’s the founder of Investify, an app that tracks the Pakistani stock exchange. Looking to expand his skills further, he approached Badani with the idea of going into franchising together. Badani was a consultant with Wells Fargo, but he wanted to do something on his own. In addition to Ziggi’s, the two are also franchisees of Ivy Kids Early Learning Center.
Colorado-based Ziggi’s, which has about 75 units open, stood out in their search among the ocean of coffee franchises because of its well-rounded menu. For Badani in particular, giving children options at a coffee shop reminded him of his own childhood, which was peppered with moments of not having those choices.
Karim Badani.
“A lot of the brands miss out on what the kids are going to have,” said Badani. “They may have one or two little things on there for the kids.”
The drive-thru aspect was also attractive to Badani and Lightwala since a location can be slotted into an area without a large footprint. Freestanding drive-thru stores are between 500 and 865 square feet. Lightwala saw opportunities in Atlanta specifically with a lot of open space in the specialty coffee segment and wanted to own the market, which led to the large development commitment.
“We thought covering the entire metro Atlanta area through a 50-unit deal would be a good way in terms of focusing our energies towards expanding,” said Lightwala. “We tried a majority of items on the menu, and we are very confident that this something that we can take forward.”
Speed to scale is a big factor for the franchisees. The two are looking at sites, and while Badani couldn’t disclose how many locations are already under contract, he said a few are set. The plan is to grow aggressively with the first couple locations planned to open this fall.
Rafiq Lightwala.
For its part, Ziggi’s is helping the two find ideal real estate in the communities around Atlanta. Lightwala and Badani’s families are also helping invest in the brand as they continue to establish locations. On average, a Ziggi’s Coffee requires an investment of $595,000 to $2,018,000.
“We’ve seen the concept with our own two eyes,” said Badani. “Being able to bring this many locations to Atlanta and making sure all parts of Atlanta are able to taste what Ziggi’s has to offer is important to us.”