Seafood Boil Franchise Brand Reflects on their first 10 Years of business by looking back on key milestones and the valuable lessons learned along the way
Angry Crab Shack, a leading full-service restaurant specializing in seafood boil with bold Asian-Cajun flavors, is proud to celebrate a decade of seafood excellence.
Ron Lou, Founder of Angry Crab Shack and former NFL player, opened the doors to the first Angry Crab Shack location in Mesa, Arizona in 2013. In the past decade, Angry Crab Shack has franchised restaurants in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Texas, and Washington. In 2023 Angry Crab Shack expanded outside the United States, opening its first international location in London, England. Looking forward to the next 10 years and beyond, Angry Crab Shack is eyeing expansion throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Persian Gulf States and the Pacific Rim.
“Since cutting the celebratory red ribbon a decade ago, Angry Crab Shack has celebrated many milestone achievements, said Ron. “We fondly look back on all the brand has accomplished, and as we look to the future, we are excited to continue expanding across the United States and internationally.”
To commemorate this exciting milestone Ron Lou reflected on the evolution of Angry Crab Shack and the achievements that have defined the brands dynamic legacy so far:
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- Steady Growth in Average Unit Volume – One of Angry Crab Shack’s signature achievements in its brief history has been consistent growth in Average Unit Volume. Through the end of 2022, AUV reached $5,303,962 for the top 25% of locations, $4,690,164 for the top 55% of locations and $3,453,069 for all locations.
- Developing a Corporate Support Team – Expanding from a single unit to twenty-plus locations necessitated the need for Angry Crab Shack to build a corporate team and the necessary programs to support both corporate restaurants and Franchise Partners. Chief among these has been the addition of an experienced team including a Director of Franchise Operations, Director of Corporate Training, Regional Director of Operations, Corporate Marketing Coordinator and Regional Support Managers. Rounding out the support team is a group of seasoned corporate managers including a Director of Human Resources, IT Director and a Paralegal. The addition of these positions allows Angry Crab Shack to provide unparalleled support to all of its locations as it continues to expand.
- Expanding Technology – As the brand has grown, so has technology. In addition to its extensive Launch and Operations Manuals, the brand developed CrabLab, a proprietary online learning system for use by its Franchise Partners, Managers and employees. This improves and streamlines the training process ensuring more thorough and timelier implementation of its brand standards while also providing a resource for franchised and corporate locations that includes recipes, training tips and marketing materials, all of which are available through the CrabLab portal.
- Menu Innovation – During its 10-year run Angry Crab Shack’s menu has evolved from serving mostly seafood boils, baskets, Poboy’s and simple appetizers to one that includes burgers, sandwiches, salads, and specialty items such as jambalaya and shrimp & grits. The brand has also added more options for their seafood boils, adding more sauces and spice levels and creating a fully customizable boil menu that allows guests to create their seafood boil bag verses ordering individual bags. As trends change and guests become increasingly health-conscious, the brand continues to innovate their menu to ensure a positive guest experience every time they dine with Angry Crab Shack.
- Delivery Options – Angry Crab Shack, while primarily a dine-in experience, has adapted to meet guest’s desires for online ordering and to-go options. This was particularly true during the pandemic, but continues to be a focus for the brand and its guests.
- Giving Back to The Community – Angry Crab Shack has been committed to giving back to the communities that have supported them. In 2022 the brand reached its goal of $1 million dollars in donations to various charitable causes in the communities where it operates restaurants.
“Transitioning from a single unit operation with only a few employees, to becoming a multiple unit operation with nearly 1,000 employees has been both a privilege and a huge learning experience,” said Ron Lou, Founder of Angry Crab Shack. “Key learnings along the way include how to properly scale the business as we have grown, putting my trust into the people and systems we created to support the brand, and prioritizing communication brand wide to ensure seamless implementation of Angry Crab Shack’s programs and policies.”
For the remainder of the year, Angry Crab Shack will continue to build value in the brand by expanding menu options for its guests, enhancing its one-of-a-kind dine-in experience, implementing new marketing initiatives to assist its Franchise Partners in strengthening their businesses, and opening new restaurants in new markets.
To learn more about Angry Crab Shack, visit https://www.angrycrabshack.com.
Founded in 2013 by Ron Lou, Angry Crab Shack is a fun, casual seafood restaurant specializing in seafood boil with bold Asian-Cajun flavors that are unique to the brand and irresistible to guests. Headquartered in Mesa, Arizona, the seafood concept began franchising in 2017 and has since grown to five corporate locations and 16 franchise locations with agreements signed to bring additional restaurants to Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Washington. Angry Crab Shack aims to have 100 locations open and operating by 2025. For more information, visit https://www.angrycrabfranchise.com.
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