Captain D’s, the nation’s leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today the signing of two franchise development agreements in New Jersey and Georgia. Both agreements are with experienced business leaders who are new to Captain D’s and came to the brand with conversion opportunities already identified in their cities.
Multi-brand franchisees Jujhar Rai and Maliha Rahmani are developing one location in Camden, New Jersey. The site is a former Church’s Chicken and will open in 2024. Rai and Rahmani have 23 years of experience in restaurant franchising. They currently operate a Checkers and have been owner/operators with Church’s Chicken and Popeyes in the past.
The Georgia agreement backfills opportunities in the Atlanta market. Farid Khan will be developing three Captain D’s, with the first opening next year in a former Hardee’s within the Atlanta area. Khan’s business portfolio includes rental cars, gas stations and a commercial real estate and management company. He also has past experience in hotels and as a Marco’s Pizza franchisee.
“Jujhar, Maliha and Farid recognized valuable properties in their markets that are ripe for repurposing and came to Captain D’s because of our conversion expertise and our unique seafood category,” said Brad Reed, chief development officer of Captain D’s. “In this increasingly competitive real estate market, converting an existing building can save significantly on start-up costs. We look forward to working with these dedicated professionals and utilizing existing efficiencies to get them up and running faster to serve their communities.”
Over the past year, 50 percent of Captain D’s new restaurant openings have been conversions, successfully giving new life to former Huddle House, Bojangles, Dunkin’, KFC and Hardee’s properties. In total, Captain D’s is now the second generation in former locations of 18 different brands, with more conversions planned for 2024.
With more than 530 restaurants in 23 states, Captain D’s is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand’s rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-314-4819.
ABOUT CAPTAIN D’S
Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D’s has more than 530 restaurants in 23 states. Captain D’s is the nation’s leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D’s has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for over 50 years. Captain D’s serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company’s signature batter dipped fish. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, Tilapia and Salmon, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D's favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.
