Capital Tacos – Tampa Bay, Fla.

Up-and-coming fast-casual Tex-Mex brand Capital Tacos is expanding its reach beyond its five restaurants in the Tampa Bay area with the January announcement of a franchising partnership with virtual restaurant company CloudKitchens.   

Over the next few quarters, Capital Tacos hopes to expand its reach to Orlando, Atlanta, Miami, Nashville, and Charlotte through delivery-only restaurants run mainly by franchisees.

“Our goal with building the Capital Tacos brand is direct and comprehensive.,” Josh Luger, co-owner of Capital Tacos said in a statement. “We never felt the restaurant industry was in need of another taco shop, but it was in desperate need of a company that rewards hard work, is based on inclusivity and remembers to have fun along the way.”

Capital Tacos currently has 70 locations in development, with the first three brick and mortar franchised stores opening in the Tampa area. By the end of 2022, the brand hopes to open 15-20 more locations in select markets, mainly in the Southeast.

“We serve over 100 menu items, featuring over 10 different proteins, and have a deep and diverse menu with something for everyone. In fact, tacos make up less than half of our sales,” Luger told Nation’s Restaurant News.

The average check is $28.50 and average unit size is 2,000 square-feet.  

Escobar Restaurant & Tapas- Atlanta, Ga.

Casual-dining tapas restaurant Escobar currently has three locations in the Atlanta area and announced in February that the company launched a franchising program with the intention of expanding to new markets.

The concept is known as a celebrity hotspot with a restaurant vibe by day and lounge/bar scene at night and is working with Franchise Genies to open six locations by the end of 2022, with 10 restaurants in the works over the next two years.

The first franchised location will open in Columbus, Ohio in September and owner Snoop Dillard sees the potential of entering major markets like Houston, Los Angeles, South Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C. Although Dillard said they are initially starting small, once they are able to onboard and support franchisees they can begin expanding more rapidly.

Gregoire- Berkeley, Calif. 

Chef Gregoire Jacquet opened his self-named fine-dining fast-casual restaurant in Berkeley, Calif. 20 years ago, serving fine-dining-inspired sandwiches and salads in a quick-service environment. In May, chef Jacquet and his team announced the launch of franchising to bring his restaurant in a unique category to new markets.

“I always felt that this was just a fantastic business model,” Jacquet said in a statement. “It's a really profitable business with low food and labor costs because it's so compact. It's perfect for high-density metropolitan locations, perfect for food on the go. I see one day having a Grégoire in every major city.”

The menu of mainly sandwiches and salads includes such gourmet ingredients as smoked salmon, herbed goat cheese, grilled steak topped with melted brie, and rhubarb bread pudding for dessert.

Jacquet has an initial goal of opening 8-10 locations over the next two years, mainly opening in West Coast markets like Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Napa, with cost of opening a franchised store ranging from $298,924 to $420,100.

In 2021, the average check was $30.18, and the average unit size for franchised stores will be 600-700 square feet.

JARS- Chicago, Ill.

Celebrity chef Fabio Viviani’s Chicago-based upcoming dessert concept, JARS — which appropriately reimagines classic desserts like red velvet cake and tiramisu in jar form — is partnering with Fransmart to expand to the Texas market. Husband-and-wife franchisees Jason and Tejal Wible inked a deal to bring 10 locations to the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin markets even before the concept’s flagship location is set to open in Chicago in September 2022 as part of the Fabio Viviani Hospitality brand.

“JARS Sweets & Things is an innovative and super exciting concept with amazing growth potential, and we are excited to be the first multi-unit franchisees to help build the brand nationally,” Tejal Wible said in a statement. “Desserts are an incredibly relevant and timely category. After visiting with Fabio and witnessing his infectious passion and vision for the brand, we were sold. Plus, the desserts are just delicious!” 

Beyond Texas, Vivani’s team is looking to expand to the top 50 media markets across the country.

The average check will be $25 to $30, while unit size will range from 750 square feet to 1,500 square feet.  

Sip Fresh- San Marino, Calif. 

Sip Fresh began in 2017 as a handcrafted juice bar concept, focusing more on healthy drinks than just smoothies The California-based, two-unit brand with innovative juice blends, tropical tea drinks and fruit bowls, announced franchising in June and is looking to expand to states mainly in the Western and southwestern regions of the United States.

Although no franchising deals have been announced yet, Sip Fresh is talking with multiple operators that would be interested in franchising, and has a goal of opening six locations by next year.

“From a franchisee perspective, Sip Fresh stores showcase eye-catching graphics and beverages that draw consumer traffic, while offering a streamlined operation that ensures that customers are promptly served by a well-trained staff operating in an efficient setting,” a Sip Fresh representative told Nation’s restaurant News.

The average check is $10.02 and average unit size is 750 square-feet.

Smokey Mo’s – Cedar Park, Tx.

The 16-unit, fast-casual classic Texas barbecue chain, Smokey Mo’s, announced a plan to expand its franchising program to new markets, with a goal of adding 32 more locations to the company by 2025.

Currently, the company has 11 corporate locations and five franchised locations, with plans to open two new franchised locations already in development in the San Antonio area. Two new corporate locations will open in 2022, bringing the Smokey Mo’s store count up to 18. The goal at this point is to further explore the major urban Texas markets including Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.

“Smokey Mo’s is differentiating itself in the BBQ space by focusing on being a true neighborhood barbeque as opposed to a “craft” or “big box” BBQ, like many other businesses,” a company representative said. “The company prides itself on being a local favorite and works to make each space unique to the area with a rebranded look that provides a refreshed take on the big personality and fun-loving attitude of Smokey Mo’s Texas roots.”

The average check size is $25.85 and average unit size is approximately 2,500 sq ft.