Young Entrepreneur to Bring Bold Asian-Cajun Seafood to Oak Lawn, Kickstarting Midwest Expansion
Angry Crab Shack, a leading full-service restaurant specializing in seafood and boils with bold Asian-Cajun flavors that are unique to the brand and irresistible to guests, recently signed a franchise agreement to open its first Illinois restaurant – a new market for the brand. With site selection underway, the new restaurant is on track to open in Q2 2021 in or near Oak Lawn, bringing tasty Asian-Cajun fare and culture to the suburban outskirts of Chicago.
The popular and bold brand has grown to 12 locations – six corporate and six franchised – with development slated for Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Texas and Utah, making this Illinois expansion news even more exciting for area residents craving flavorful and fresh seafood. Additional restaurants are planned for Illinois and the Midwest as a whole, underscoring an overall brand expansion plan to have 100 stores open and operating across the nation by 2025.
“We’re already planning to hit the ground running with development as soon as dining restrictions due to the pandemic ease up,” said Nas Zaidan, who, at the young age of 27, has signed on to own and operate Illinois’ first Angry Crab Shack. “I was raised around budding businesses, and while I graduated with a degree in biology with plans to become a dentist, after graduation I did a complete 180 to pursue my passion for entrepreneurship. Right now, we’re evaluating sites in Orland Park, Evergreen Park, Tinley Park and Schaumburg – Wherever we land, I know the community is going to fall in love with this concept just as I did.”
A Chicagoland native, Zaidan grew up in a business-centric family, helping his father run an area grocery store for years before taking over operations at just 21 years old. Now, Zaidan expands his already impressive roster of businesses – including Shark’s Fish and Chicken, Slim’s and Express Mart – to include Angry Crab Shack, soon to be a neighborhood favorite.
The milestone signed agreement rounds out a successful year for Angry Crab Shack, having utilized the slowdown in the early months of the pandemic to refine brand operations. This included rolling out an enhanced menu, shifting its headquarters to a larger, more collaborative facility, perfecting training for culinary staff and appointing a corporate chef to drive menu innovation. System-wide sales are nearly even with the previous year, even amid the COVID-19 outbreak, signaling the continued strengths of the beloved franchise.
“Nas is a valuable addition to the Angry Crab Shack family,” said Andrew Diamond, President of Angry Crab Shack. “Midwest expansion has long been on our radar as we were in search of the perfect candidate to help us grow in the region – the area has a booming restaurant scene. We’re confident Nas’ fresh, entrepreneurial energy will help make Angry Crab Shack a hit in the state and beyond.”
Angry Crab Shack draws on bold Asian and Cajun flavors – as well as a fun food presentation and a laid-back environment – to create an unparalleled dining experience for guests. Best known for using the freshest ingredients, Angry Crab Shack sources lobster from the East Coast, Dungeness Crab from the Pacific Northwest, King Crab from the Bering Strait, Snow Crab from Canadian waters, and crawfish from the Gulf of Mexico. Guests can expect a fun family experience where they can throw on a bib, roll up their sleeves, and dig in. The brand offers a variety of boils including, shrimp, crawfish, lobster, crab and more.
With average store sales volumes in excess of $3.7 million per year and demonstrated profitability, Angry Crab Shack is aggressively expanding throughout the country. Impressive sales position the brand as an attractive investment opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to enter the full-service restaurant industry – initial investment ranges between $392,040 to $671,500. Targeted franchise expansion states for the year ahead include Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas.
For more information about the Angry Crab Shack franchise opportunity, visit https://www.angrycrabfranchise.com.
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