Fast Casual Seafood Leader Accelerates Ongoing Growth with New Locations in Louisiana and Tennessee
Captain D’s, the nation’s leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced that it is opening two new restaurants in the Southeast today, further signifying the brand’s explosive growth and aggressive development efforts in the region. The first new location in Denham Springs, Louisiana is corporate-owned and marks Captain D’s third opening in the Greater Baton Rouge market this year. Additionally, the brand has grown its footprint in Tennessee with a conversion of a KFC restaurant to its newest franchised location opening today in Dayton.
Captain D’s has continued to target Louisiana as a prime market for expansion, with its existing corporate locations in the state performing extraordinarily well. In addition to the new Denham Springs restaurant, the brand opened locations in Baton Rouge and Zachary earlier this year, both of which are experiencing tremendous success. The Denham Springs restaurant is Captain D’s 10th in the state, with an additional location in Hammond slated to open next month. Located at 2913 S. Range Ave., the new restaurant showcases the signature Captain D’s beach design, includes a drive-thru and has created more than 50 jobs in the local community.
“The opening of two new restaurants in one day is a true testament to the strength of our growth strategy and the brand’s strong standing in the industry,” said Michael Arrowsmith, chief development officer for Captain D’s. “Our new restaurants in the Greater Baton Rouge area have exceeded expectations and surpassed performance benchmarks, reflecting how strongly the Captain D’s brand resonates within the community. We have no doubt the new Denham Springs location will experience the same success and further strengthen our presence in the region.”
Owned and operated by existing franchisees J.R. and Carol Fulbright of Two Beacons LLC, the new Captain D’s in Dayton, Tennessee was converted from a KFC restaurant and represents their sixth Captain D’s location in the state. Following the recent openings in Cordova and Johnson City, the Dayton conversion marks Captain D’s 72nd location in Tennessee, with an additional location slated to open in Smyrna before the end of 2017. Located at 4049 Rhea County Highway, this new restaurant showcases Captain D’s most recent beach design, with a drive-thru, and has created 30 new jobs in Dayton.
“We’re thrilled to be opening another Captain D’s in Tennessee, which has expanded our portfolio to six locations throughout the state. With unparalleled service and a top-of-the-line menu, the brand is consistently establishing its position as the leader in the fast casual seafood segment,” said J.R. Fulbright, Captain D’s franchisee and president of Two Beacons LLC. “We’re proud to be part the brand’s continued success and look forward to bringing high-quality affordable seafood to the Dayton community.”
Captain D’s ongoing corporate and franchise development in the Southeast region 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 an additional 25 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 525 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 525 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.
