NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Captain D's, the leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today it has accelerated its franchise development efforts, signing agreements to expand the brand's presence in Illinois, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky. As part of this aggressive growth, the company will open two new restaurants in Illinois; three in Texas; three in Virginia; five in North Carolina; and five in Kentucky over the next several years. This surge in franchise development is propelled by Captain D's ongoing success, with six consecutive years of same-store sales increases and four successive years of record high system-wide AUV.

"Year after year, Captain D's has achieved compounding success by consistently investing in our people, products and processes, and our ongoing growth has caught the attention of franchisee prospects looking to partner with a strong fast casual concept," said Michael Arrowsmith, chief development officer of Captain D's. "The strength of our franchising pipeline will help drive Captain D's presence nationwide over the next several years and accelerate our momentum even further as we continue to take the brand to new heights."

Captain D's new franchise agreements include:

• Edward Stokes and Chris Benner, who currently operate 22 Captain D's restaurants throughout Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia, will be opening three new units throughout the Roanoke, Virginia market. Stokes and Benner are one of the largest franchisee groups in the Captain D's franchise network, and will be opening their new locations over the next four years.
• Nooralam Jan Erkin will open his first Captain D's franchise in Tyler, Texas in 2018, with two additional locations slated to open in the state over the next several years in Longview and Jacksonville. Erkin has extensive experience in the restaurant and franchising industries, and also owns and operates Church's Chicken restaurants.
• GOALZ Restaurant Group, LLC signed two development agreements to open five new Captain D's units in Charlotte, North Carolina and five in Kentucky, with Shawn Eby serving as the main operator.
• First-time Captain D's franchisee Bassam Ramadan will be spearheading the brand's growth in Collinsville and Granite City, Illinois, with his first restaurant opening by the end of this year and an additional location slated to open over the next several years. Ramadan has been in the restaurant industry since 2009 and chose to pursue franchising opportunities with Captain D's due to its proven track record of success.

"When looking for potential franchisee candidates who may be a good fit for our network, it's important to us that they share our commitment to guest-centric values and have a passion for the Captain D's brand. Each of our new franchisees fit this mold, and we're thrilled to welcome them to the team," said Arrowsmith.

Coupled with its menu diversification and expanded array of offerings, Captain D's credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand's compounding success. To date, nearly 60 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand's new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year. With these efforts, Captain D's has remained true to what it does best — serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price in a welcoming atmosphere.

With 514 restaurants in 21 states, Captain D's is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand's rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit http://www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 877-635-6502.

ABOUT CAPTAIN D'S
Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D's has 514 restaurants in 21 states, plus military bases around the world. Captain D's is the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D's has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for more than 47 years. Captain D's serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company's signature hand-battered fish, which is cooked to order. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, and surf and turf, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D's favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com. 

Contact:
Samantha Russo
Fish Consulting
954-893-9150
srusso@fish-consulting.com   

SOURCE Captain D's

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http://www.captainds.com