QSR | February 11th, 2021
More than 540 restaurants in 23 states.
Captain D’s announced that it achieved significant growth amid an unprecedented year, opening 10 new restaurants across the Southeast and Midwest and expanding its footprint into its 23rd state, Michigan. The brand also signed five franchise development agreements throughout 2020 to bring 17 new restaurants to key markets such as the Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta metro areas over the next several years.
Coinciding with its ongoing development, Captain D’s has continued to prioritize real estate innovation in driving sustainable growth. Over the years, the brand has developed a lineup of flexible restaurant prototype options, featuring 62-, 44- and 22-seat footprints intentionally designed to cater to the demographics of varied markets and available land parcels, while providing turnkey development solutions to its franchisees. In November 2020, following nearly two years of development, Captain D’s unveiled its latest innovative restaurant prototype called ‘Express,’ which boasts a significantly smaller footprint than its traditional models, featuring only a drive-thru and walk-up windows for ordering and picking up. The brand’s forward-thinking real estate strategy, paired with its unique niche and longstanding reputation as the leading seafood franchise in the fast casual space, has positioned Captain D’s for accelerated development in 2021, with 15 new restaurants slated to open throughout in states like Florida, Texas, and to the brand’s Westernmost point in Utah.
“As a legacy brand established over 50 years ago, economic disruptions are nothing new to Captain D’s. While 2020 brought unprecedented challenges with the pandemic, we were able to draw on five decades of history and experience to quickly pivot and mobilize, all while remaining committed to our company teams, franchisees and loyal guests,” says Phil Greifeld, president and CEO of Captain D’s. “Looking back, I’m so proud of our resilience and all that we accomplished together, which has laid the foundation for tremendous growth in the years to come.”
Over the course of 51 years, Captain D’s has grown from a single restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee to 530-plus locations across 23 states. With more than half being company-owned and operated, Captain D’s is equally invested in its restaurants’ success and prides itself on implementing the same practices as its franchisees. “We have serious skin in the game alongside our franchisees and we consider them a top priority in everything we do. We believe having a high level of investment makes us a better franchisor, and has contributed greatly to our success over the past several years,” adds Greifeld.
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