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First
Watch Significantly Expands Franchise
Program
Amid Substantial Growth
|
The Daytime Café
will open more than 110 new franchise restaurants within 5 years
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Bradenton,
FL – April 2017 / Newsmaker Alert / Award-winning breakfast, brunch
and lunch restaurant First Watch
announces that it has finalized several additional development agreements
with established and renowned franchise operators. Collectively, First
Watch plans to open a minimum of 110 franchise
restaurants in key growth markets with its new and existing franchise
partners by 2022, in addition to its 150 planned company-owned restaurant
openings.
Charleston,
South Carolina; Augusta and Savannah, Georgia
RAS,
LLC, a new entity made up of restauranteurs Ryan Hendrix, Andrew Brooks
and Steven Hendrix, is among the new franchise partnerships. The fast-growing
franchise group plans to develop seven new First Watch restaurants in Charleston,
Augusta and Savannah. The RAS team currently operates eight Jersey Mike’s
restaurants in the Charleston and Chattanooga markets. The group is now
focusing its growth efforts on the casual dining segment, with its initial
First Watch opening planned for this year in Bluffton, South Carolina,
and another planned in the Charleston metro area in 2018.
Greensboro
and Winston-Salem, North Carolina
First
Watch has also partnered with TFW Licensing, LLC to open at least six First
Watch restaurants in and around Greensboro and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
John Tobe, primary owner of the franchise entity, has extensive experience
in the restaurant industry, once owning more than 40 Papa John’s restaurants
in three states.
Louisiana
and Mississippi
Quail
Ridge Enterprises has also joined the growing First Watch franchise roster
and will focus on growing the daytime café’s brand with 10 planned
openings Northern Louisiana and Mississippi. Led by Spencer and Janie Mooney,
the franchise group currently operates multiple Newk’s Eatery restaurants
in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Missouri
and Arkansas
National
and Battlefield Investments, LLC is another new First Watch franchise group,
led by James Tillman and Joseph Hulston. The group has agreed to open at
least five First Watch restaurants in Southwest Missouri and Northwest
Arkansas.
Miami,
Florida
A
Miami-based franchise group has also recently partnered with First Watch,
with plans to open at least 10 additional First Watch restaurants in and
around Miami. Further details of the partnership have not yet been announced.
“At
First Watch, our main priority has been quality, measured growth while
maintaining a focus on our values, our unique menu philosophies and strengthening
our culture,” said Chris Tomasso, president of First Watch. “We spend a
great amount of time getting to know our potential franchise partners and
their values, goals, experiences and overall work ethic, and they do the
same for us. Both our existing and our new franchise partners have all
shown an ability to develop and successfully operate restaurants in multiple
markets, and we’re confident that each of these groups will operate successful
First Watch restaurants while maintaining our people-focused culture.”
In
addition to the 36 restaurants to be built under these new development
agreements with RAS, LLC, TFW Licensing, LLC, Quail Ridge Enterprises and
National and Battlefield Investments, LLC, the company’s existing franchise
partners are scheduled to open more than 75 First Watch restaurants based
on previously established development agreements.
First
Watch serves its entire menu seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
and offers customers complimentary newspapers and free Wi-Fi Internet access.
For
First Watch franchise information, please visit www.firstwatch.com/franchise.
About
First Watch
First
Watch specializes in award-winning, made-to-order Breakfast, Brunch and
Lunch. A recipient of more than 200 “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch”
accolades, First Watch offers traditional favorites, such as omelets, pancakes,
sandwiches and salads, and unique specialty items like Quinoa Power Bowls,
Avocado Toast and the Chickichanga. First Watch was named the 2016 top
Family Dining restaurant by Consumer Reports, a 2015 Top Consumer Pick
by Nation’s Restaurant News and a 2014 Top Franchise Value by FSR Magazine.
First Watch is the largest and fastest-growing daytime-only restaurant
concept in the U.S. with more than 300 restaurants in 26 states, including
more than 200 First Watch restaurants, 95 The Egg & I restaurants,
one The Good Egg restaurant in Phoenix and one Bread & Company restaurant
in Nashville. For more information, follow First Watch on Twitter,
like it on Facebook and
visit
www.firstwatch.com.
|
Contact:
Eleni
Kouvatsos
941-907-9800
ext. 218
Public
Relations & Communications Manager
First
Watch Restaurants, Inc. |