Twin Peaks, known for its all-female service staff and 29-degree draft beer served in frozen mugs, first opened in 2005 in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville, Texas. Founders Randy DeWitt and Scott Gordon created a mountain sports lodge setting and casual-dining menu that has grown over the past nine years into a strong competitor for such similar concepts as Hooters. DeWitt was also the founder and chief executive of Rockfish Seafood Grill L.P., a 14-unit chain of casual seafood restaurants he sold in July 2008. Based in Addison, Texas, parent Front Burner Restaurants L.P. also has the casual-dining Ojos Locos Sports Cantina, Whiskey Cake Kitchen and Bar and Mexican Sugar brands, as well as the fast-casual Velvet Taco, which is working on a third location in Chicago.
2014 Second 100 top 10 growth chains at a glance >>
Keys to Growth:
Systemwide Sales. Twin Peaks made its Second 100 debut in the No. 182 systemwide sales berth with $165.3 million in Latest-Year sales. The Latest Year’s 69.2-percent growth was atop 89.7-percent growth in the Preceding Year.
Growth in Estimated Sales Per Unit. Unit sales growth was still positive, but slowed. Twin Peaks saw a 5.2 percent increase in Estimated Sales Per Unit in 2013, down from the significant 19.6 percent increase in the Preceding Year. Estimated Sales Per Unit for the Latest Year were $4.5 million, up from $4.3 million in the Preceding Year.
Leadership Changes. In May 2013, Twin Peaks named industry operations veteran Patrick Droesch as president and chief operating officer.
Droesch left the position after a year and Jack Gibbons, who has been with Twin Peaks since 2007 and had previously been president, returned to the president role.
In-House Brewery. In March, Twin Peaks opened its first brewery as a 2,800-square-foot addition to its new location in Irving, Texas. Three of its four planned brews have launched: Dirty Blonde, Gold Digger and Knotty Brunette. Jezebel is currently in development. The brewery supplies the beers for its corporate and franchised restaurants in Texas.
U.S. Unit Growth. At the end of 2013, Twin Peaks had 46 units, up from 28 in the Preceding Year. As of July 2014, the company had 52 units.
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