Captain D’s, the Nashville, Tennessee-headquartered fast casual seafood restaurant chain, has signed franchise development agreements to expand its profile in four states. This growth will bring five new restaurants to Texas, one to Tennessee, and four to the Alabama and Florida markets over the next several years.
With 521 restaurants in 21 states and US military bases around the world, Captain D’s ranks as number one seafood franchise in America in terms of average unit volume. Founded in 1969, the chain’s menu includes hand-battered fish dishes and premium-quality grilled fish, shrimp, Alaska salmon cakes, chicken, surf and turf, hush puppies, desserts and beverages.
Steady expansion in franchise development has fueled Captain D’s ongoing success, as the company has recorded six consecutive years of same-store sales increases and four straight years of record high system-wide average unit volume.
“The significant brand building accomplishments we’ve achieved over the last six years have solidified Captain D’s as a leader in the fast casual segment and showcased our unlimited potential for success,” said Michael Arrowsmith, the company’s chief development officer. “Our commitment to supporting our franchisees has not only driven interest from new candidates, but also fueled growth from within, with existing franchisees continuing to develop more restaurants.”
Driving Captain D’s growth in Alabama and Florida are new franchisees Sam and Gus Abusaleem of GSA Food Group, who will be opening four locations in the Mobile-Pensacola market over the next five years. The Abusaleems have been working in the industry since the early 1990s, having previously owned and operated local convenience stores in their community, as well as several restaurant franchises, including Popeye’s and Marco’s Pizza. After developing the initial four locations, the partners plan to continue expanding within their territory and opening more Captain D’s outlets throughout the Mobile region.
Existing franchisee International Restaurant Group (IRG) has signed an agreement to develop five new restaurants throughout San Antonio, with the first location expected to open later this year. IRG is also driving Captain D’s expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, most recently opening the first of three planned locations in Dallas in June.
First-time Captain D’s franchisee Chad Vaughn will be opening a new location in Jackson, Tennessee, within the next year, with plans to develop additional locations in the market over the next several years. This is Vaughn’s first venture into franchising, after spending decades as the owner and operator of a multi-million dollar construction firm.
