The casual-dining chain has singed a franchise deal to open restaurants on Long Island
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Paul Frumkin
The Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grill has inked a deal with a Long Island, N.Y., Burger King franchisee to expand the casual-dining restaurant outside of its Mid-Atlantic base.
The brand’s new franchise partners, Jeff and John Froccaro, agreed to open 10 Greene Turtle restaurants in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, N.Y. The Froccaros operate 38 local Burger King branches under the name Burger Brothers of Long Island.
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The Froccaros said they plan to open their first location in Franklin Square, N.Y., in Nassau County, early in 2013 near Belmont Racetrack, the Nassau Coliseum and Hofstra University.
This will mark the 34-unit chain’s first location outside of its home base of Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.C. It also is the chain’s largest franchise deal to date.
“Jeff and John Froccaro represent ideal partners for us, with extensive experience in restaurant operations, knowledge of the market, and exceptional operational capabilities,” said Bob Barry, chief executive of The Greene Turtle.
“For us, The Greene Turtle will complement our portfolio of quick-service sites with a popular and higher-ticket full-service concept,” Jeff Froccaro said.
The inaugural Long Island location will occupy an 8,000-square-foot space that formerly held a Boulder Creek steakhouse. This type of conversion reflects a long-held strategy of The Greene Turtle, which also offers a flexible format that enables franchisees to capitalize on sites built to accommodate other restaurants.
“Conversions remain a key component of our development strategy,” said Tom Finn, vice president of franchise development. “If our flexible format lets us avoid a prolonged ramp-up process or unnecessary expenditure by using a perfectly good existing structure, we’re happy to help our franchisees open earlier and have more to spend on marketing and other bottom-line building measures.”
The Edgewater, Md.-based chain said it also is preparing to announce another multiunit franchise deal in the near future. In the meantime, officials at The Greene Turtle are continuing to reposition the brand with a retooled menu and marketing campaign, an effort the chain embarked on a year ago.
Contact Paul Frumkin at [email protected].
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