This is part of an exclusive online series by Nation's Restaurant News and Chain Store Guide, profiling the restaurant industry's top 10 growth chains. Go to NRN.com's Special Reports page to read more profiles highlighting the industry's fastest-growing players based on five-year unit growth rates.
The fast-casual concept was selected as one of Nation’s Restaurant News’ Hot! Concepts in 2006, when it had 11 restaurants, and has since grown to more than 30 locations. As of December 2009, its franchisor and owner, Spicy Pickle Franchising Inc., had signed agreements for an additional 59 namesake restaurants.
The company, which also owns the 17-unit Bread Garden Urban Cafe concept in Canada, recently named industry veteran Mark Laramie chief executive, a move president Marc Geman said would help the company as it continues to expand.
“With [Laramie’s] background we add the needed ingredient of operational know how for rapid expansion while we continue to look at multiple opportunities for the growth of our system,” he said.
A relatively new initiative for the company is the development of in-store bakeries to replace the purchase of products from outside suppliers.
Spicy Pickle trades on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board and is the only publicly traded company in Chain Store Guide’s top 10 fastest-growing chains.
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