Hurricane Grill & Wings™ Poised for Aggressive Growth, Adding 233 New Franchise Restaurant Development Agreements in 15 States Coast to Coast

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hurricane Grill & Wings™ announced today it has signed seven new domestic development agreements, adding commitments for 233 new restaurants to its 42 existing locations. The Company has experienced double digit growth in the past year, and the new development agreements will contribute to the Company's accelerated growth plan with new locations in 15 states, including California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and District of Columbia.

"Robust expansion in 2011 aligns with our national growth plan, and we are extremely pleased with the caliber of accomplished and ambitious individuals who have joined the Hurricane family," said Martin O'Dowd, President of Hurricane Grill & Wings. "We are fortunate to have attracted dedicated management, operators and team members who are passionate about expanding our award-winning brand to new cities around the country while providing guests with great food and a unique dining experience."

Hurricane Grill & Wings is already driving growth with strong area developer partners. One such example is H&P Wings, Inc., operated by Mike Patch and Piero Hazrati who joined Hurricane Grill & Wings in 2007. They currently have seven restaurants in their portfolio, another one slated to open in Neptune Beach later this year and have committed to fully developing the North Florida region to the Panhandle and Puerto Rico.

ROC Wings, LLC, operated by Ron Tobias, Dan Steele and Walter Henry, came on board Hurricane Grill & Wings in 2007. With three current restaurants and two additional restaurants scheduled to open in 2011, they are on track to develop 55 trade areas in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Wing Man Development, LLC, operated by Bryan Reichley and Jim Thebeau, joined Hurricane Grill & Wings™ in 2008. Their plans are to develop 15 restaurants throughout the St. Louis market.

The Brendon Group, operated by Eric Bachelor, signed up with Hurricane Grill & Wings in 2007 and has committed to aggressively developing 100 restaurants within Southern California. 

Glenn and Eric Gustafsson, father and son respectively, will work together to accomplish their goal of opening 38 Hurricane Grill & Wings locations along the eastern seaboard in D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.  As the owners of Chitowngus, LLC, Glenn Gustafsson has more than 12 years experience in the restaurant franchise industry, and partnering with his son to open Hurricane Grill & Wings makes it a true family affair. "After visiting Hurricane Grill & Wings, we were blown away by the incredible food, concept and management team. We felt this is a rock-solid concept that was a perfect opportunity for us," said Glenn Gustafsson. "Plus, the decor and the restaurant itself had a feeling of comfortable casual. If they had been willing to put sand on the floor, I would have taken my shoes off --- I totally felt at home and I knew our guests would too."

Darrell Coppock and Bob Tegeler are partners at Category Five, LLC, and plan to open 22 Hurricane Grill & Wings locations across America's heartland in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. "We both have years of restaurant franchise experience, so after our first visit to Hurricane Grill & Wings in southern Florida, it was an easy decision to become members of the family for a number of reasons. We knew that the menu, including the wide array of wings and sauces, coupled with the perfectly themed tropical decor, would be a big hit in the Midwest – especially in the winter – it just seemed right," said Bob Tegeler.

Ardag Tachian researched multiple franchises and felt that Hurricane Grill & Wings offered the best opportunity and potential for growth. "Other franchises who market themselves as primarily a wings purveyor were simply not up to par when compared to Hurricane Grill & Wings," said Ardag Tachian, President of Asta Holdings. "The wide array of menu items was appealing not only to me, but provides the opportunity to reach a larger demographic." Tachian's plans include opening 33 franchises in Indiana and Ohio.

Raheem Amer, will expand the Hurricane Grill & Wings™ brand across the upper Midwest in Illinois and Wisconsin with a commitment to open 50 restaurants. Amer, who has developed a variety of franchises for over 21 years commented, "This is a hot concept and I was very impressed that Hurricane Grill & Wings has experienced three years of same store sales increases, especially given the current state of the economy. I believe Hurricane Grill & Wings represents the new, upcoming trend in the industry. Not only is the menu outstanding, but when you walk into the restaurant, you feel like you have escaped to a tropical island."  

For more than 20 years, Bill Roberts has been in the consumer products and restaurant franchise business. "If experience has taught me anything, it's that who is behind the scenes, setting the tone, providing strong leadership, is what makes the difference in being successful," said Bill Roberts, President of Texas Family Wings, LLC. "I have been impressed with the leadership and direction of John Metz and Martin O'Dowd every step of the way, and I love the food!"  Roberts plans to open 28 Hurricane Grill & Wings locations covering about half of the state of Texas, reaching an estimated population of 11 million people from Dallas/Ft. Worth, Waco/Bryan/Temple, Austin and San Antonio areas.

Todd Sternfeld plans to open 28 new restaurants in the Pacific Northwest in Oregon and Washington and has an added territory of Sacramento, California. "I appreciate the philosophy of the executive team at Hurricane Grill & Wings about working with franchisees," said Sternfeld. "They are focused on franchisee profitability and having clear reciprocal communication to achieve success." Sternfeld's experience spans more than 20 years in the food and beverage industry.

"These energetic and talented individuals and organizations share our belief in the opportunities of the Hurricane Grill & Wings brand," said O'Dowd. "They each bring the right balance of skill, resources and industry experience to help make our aggressive development plans a reality taking our concept to 314 total restaurants."

About Hurricane Grill & Wings™:

The original Hurricane Grill & Wings™ opened in Fort Pierce, Fla., in 1995. There are 42 locations, including Arizona, Florida, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, with additional restaurants planned nationwide. Hurricane Grill & Wings™, whose trademark is, "Live with Flavor™," is known for its uniquely savory chicken wings, offered in five categories with a choice of over 30 signature sauces. Menu items are cooked fresh to order with high quality ingredients and zero trans fats. Other menu options range from salads to Certified Angus Burgers, Grilled Mahi-Mahi and Iron Skillet Salmon along with a full lineup of micro-brew beer and wine.  Hurricane Grill & Wings™ has won several awards and honors nationally including being named to Entrepreneur Magazine's Hot 100 List (the fastest-growing businesses in America); Restaurant Business magazine's Future 50 (a listing of the fastest growing chains with annual sales between $25 and $50 million); Franchise Times magazine's Fast 55 (fastest growing franchises); World Franchising Network's 50 Top Franchises for Military Veterans, and top honors at the National Buffalo Wing Festival, winning the 2009 Chairman's Award, serving more wings than any other restaurant at the festival. For more information about Hurricane Grill & Wings™ or franchise information, please visit www.HurricaneWings.com.

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical, including but not limited to statements regarding the timing of our restaurant openings and the timing or success of our expansion plans, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, which may cause the company's actual results to differ materially from expected results. Although Hurricane Grill & Wings believes the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectation will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Hurricane Grill & Wings' expectations include financial performance, restaurant industry conditions, execution of restaurant development and construction programs, franchisee performance, changes in local or national economic conditions, availability of financing, governmental approvals and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's SEC reports.

SOURCE Hurricane Grill & Wings