Captain D's Signs Franchise Development Agreements to Propel Aggressive Expansion in the Midwest and Southeast

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Captain D's, the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today the signing of franchise development agreements that will expand its presence in key markets throughout the Midwest and the Southeast. This growth will bring three new restaurants to the greater Detroit area; three to Tulsa, Oklahoma; three to Southeast Georgia; and six to the greater Chicagoland/Northwest Indiana region, which will mark Captain D's first locations in the Chicago market.

This surge in franchise development is a reflection of the brand's aggressive growth strategy and is fueled by the ongoing success Captain D's has experienced over the past several years. To further drive the brand's development efforts, Captain D's recently announced a new royalty incentive program for both new and existing franchisees interested in growing the company's footprint and opening new restaurants across the country. Now through May 1, 2019, franchisees that open their locations ahead of schedule will not be charged a royalty fee for up to six months, dependent on the opening date. Additionally, franchisees that open no more than 150 days after the scheduled date will not be charged a royalty fee for up to four months.

"Over the past several years, Captain D's has continued to attract interest from franchisee prospects throughout the country who recognize the brand's unlimited potential for success. We've had our sights set on Chicago for quite some time and are thrilled to announce our entrance to the market, as well as all of the explosive development in the pipeline for the Midwest and the Southeast," said Brad Reed, chief development officer for Captain D's. "Our rapid growth wouldn't be possible without the passion and hard work of our franchisees, and we're excited to roll out our new royalty incentive program, which was created to further assist new and existing franchisees with driving the profitability of their business and increasing their ROI quickly."

The new and existing Captain D's franchise agreements signed include:

• Spearheading Captain D's entrance into the Chicagoland market are first-time franchisees Haresh Patel & Vishal Shah. The partners have extensive experience operating food service franchise concepts, collectively owning more than 100 Dunkin' Donuts, Wingstop and Baskin-Robbins locations throughout the country. Patel and Shah signed a multi-unit development agreement and will be opening six new Captain D's restaurants in communities throughout the greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana markets, targeting Evergreen Park, Oak Park, Hyde Park, Blue Island, Merriville and Hammond. Their first location is slated to open in late 2019.
• First-time Captain D's franchisee Kirit Patel will continue the brand's expansion throughout Michigan with three locations slated to open across the greater Detroit area. An industry veteran, Patel has more than two decades of experience operating and managing a variety of restaurant concepts including Dunkin' Donuts and Golden Corral, and will be opening his first Captain D's restaurant in the fall of 2019.
• Growing Captain D's footprint in Oklahoma is multi-unit franchisee Steve Clausen of Go Fish of Oklahoma Restaurant Group, LLC, who has three locations currently under development in the Tulsa market. As the former vice president of operations for Waffle House, Clausen has more than 16 years of experience in the food service industry, and currently operates two Captain D's restaurants in Tulsa. The first of his three new locations planned for the area is slated to open in the fall of 2019.
• Husband-and-wife team Robert and Pam Wiggins signed a development agreement to open three Captain D's restaurants throughout Southeast Georgia. The Wiggins have extensive experience in the franchising industry, with a diverse list of food service brands in their portfolio including Huddle House, Checkers, Pizza Inn, and Dick's Wings and Grill. Their first Captain D's restaurant is projected to open in the spring of 2019.

"Our franchisees are the backbone of our company, and we're thrilled to welcome such experienced new operators to the brand. We're confident that their passion for Captain D's and extensive knowledge of the restaurant industry will translate into tremendous success, and we look forward to seeing where they take the brand next," added Reed.

Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D's credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand's ongoing strong performance. To date, nearly 80 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand's new vibrant, coastal design. 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 more than 530 restaurants in 22 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 800-314-4819.

ABOUT CAPTAIN D'S

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D's has more than 530 restaurants in 22 states. 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 48 years. Captain D's serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company's signature hand-battered fish. 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: 
Nikki Rode 
Fish Consulting 
954-893-9150 
[email protected]  

SOURCE Captain D's