Burger 21, a new fast casual concept founded by the owners of The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., announced today that it has signed a franchise deal to open one restaurant in Voorhees, N.J. in spring 2013, expanding the beyond-the-better-burger concept’s footprint to the Northeast and its total units to 10. This new development is part of Burger 21’s aggressive growth campaign for national expansion.
As a current franchisee of Burger 21’s affiliate concept, The Melting Pot, Charlie Haney, along with business partners Curt Wunder and Mike Astuto, decided to expand upon their portfolio based on the extensive training and support received over the years from Front Burner Brands, the concepts’ management company. Haney became a Melting Pot franchisee in Atlantic City in 2006 and was named “Melting Pot Franchisee of the Year” in 2010.
“Charlie and his team are tremendous ambassadors of The Melting Pot brand, and we strongly believe the same attributes that make them successful with The Melting Pot will position them for success with our new better burger franchise concept, Burger 21,” said Dan Stone, vice president of franchise development for Front Burner Brands.
Since February 2012, the burger franchise has signed four agreements to develop a total of six franchised units in the Atlanta, Orlando, Fla. and Voorhees, N.J. markets, in addition to the development of two more corporate-owned locations in the Tampa Bay area for a total of 10 franchised and company-owned units.
“The franchise support team at Front Burner Brands is one of the primary reasons we are moving forward with Burger 21,” said Charlie Haney. “While the burgers are amazing, as a franchisee of The Melting Pot, I have had firsthand experience with the caliber of support they provide to their franchisees. On the consumer front, we are elated to bring Burger 21 to the Northeast, as we haven’t tasted anything like this. Voorhees is going to be blown away by our menu variety and the 21 unique burger creations offered at Burger 21.”
Burger 21 is seeking single and multi-unit operators with restaurant experience in New Jersey and throughout the country to join its upscale fast casual dining concept. Franchisee candidates should have a minimum net worth of $500,000 and liquid assets of at least $200,000 per unit. Burger 21 will be developed through both single-unit agreements and Area Development Agreements. Depending on the real estate site selected, franchisees can expect the total cost of investment for one restaurant to be approximately $501,495 – $750,995. The initial franchise fee is $40,000; however, a 10 percent discount is applied to all franchises sold by Dec. 21, 2012. Reduced franchise fees apply for Area Development Agreements of four or more units.
To learn more about ownership opportunities with Burger 21, contact Dan Stone, vice president of franchise development for Front Burner Brands, at 813-425-6208 and dstone@burger21.com or visit http://www.burger21franchise.com.
With two locations open in Tampa, Fla., and eight in development in Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta and Voorhees, N.J., Burger 21 is a “beyond the better burger” fast-casual franchise concept founded in 2010. Burger 21 is a chef-inspired brand with offerings including 21 unique burger creations ranging from hand-crafted, freshly ground beef to chicken, turkey, shrimp and tuna burgers, made-to-order salads, Hebrew National all-beef hot dogs, and an extensive shake bar including hand-dipped shakes, floats and sundaes. Burger 21 is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla. For more information, visit http://www.burger21.com.
Front Burner Brands (formerly known as TGS Restaurant Management) is a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla. It is affiliated with the corporate owners of and its management services extended to The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., founded in 1975 with more than 140 locations in North America and more than 15 locations currently in development, Burger 21 with two locations open in Tampa and eight in development in Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta and Voorhees, N.J., GrillSmith with six locations in the Tampa Bay area and other new franchise concepts in development. For more information, visit http://www.frontburnerbrands.com.
