Leading Fast Casual Seafood Restaurant Propels Growth With New Location in Kentucky
Captain D’s, the nation’s leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today the opening of its newest franchised location in Bardstown, Kentucky, located at 726 N. 3rd St. Marking the second new restaurant the brand has opened this week and its 39th in the state, the new Bardstown location reflects the surge in franchise development and tremendous growth Captain D’s has experienced throughout 2017, expanding its presence in key target markets nationwide.
The Bardstown Captain D’s is owned and operated by brother-and-sister team Shaun Hill and Kelly Boernsen, who are Bardstown natives and first-time franchisees with the company. The siblings began their professional partnership when they opened a real estate company in their hometown before venturing into the restaurant industry for the first time together. Shaun has immense experience in the fast casual and franchising industries, having been a successful operator of two franchised Buffalo Wings & Rings since 2009. The Bardstown restaurant will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony in January 2018.
“After franchising with Buffalo Wings & Rings for the past eight years, I was looking for an opportunity to diversify my portfolio with a leading fast casual concept, and Captain D’s was the obvious choice,” said Shaun Hill. “The compounding success the brand has achieved over the past several years, along with the unparalleled support and training it offers franchisees, made it a very attractive business opportunity to my sister and I. We’re excited to introduce residents of our hometown to the signature Captain D’s experience, and have no doubt our neighbors will fall in love with the brand just as consumers nationwide have for decades.”
Captain D’s ongoing franchise development in Kentucky is fueled by the outstanding success the brand experienced in 2016, achieving its sixth consecutive year of same store sales increases and fourth successive year of record high system-wide average unit volume (AUV). This ongoing success has propelled Captain D’s franchise expansion, with agreements signed this year to open new restaurants in states across the country including Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia.
Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s ongoing strong performance. To date, nearly 70 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand’s new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year. With these efforts, Captain D’s has remained true to what it does best — serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price in a welcoming atmosphere.
With 530 restaurants in 21 states, Captain D’s is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand’s rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit http://www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-550-4877.
Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D’s has 530 restaurants in 21 states. Captain D’s is the nation’s leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D’s has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for more than 48 years. Captain D’s serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company’s signature hand-battered fish, which is cooked to order. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, and surf and turf, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D’s favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.
