The authentic, fast-growing Greek bakery and café moving into Pennsylvania in next phase of their coast to coast expansion plan
is building on successful growth in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida to open its first Pennsylvania location in Kennett Square. The expansion follows an exciting month for the brand, which included the acquisition and rebranding of the concept’s largest competitor in Manhattan, a 31-unit expansion across Long Island and Stamford, and the opening of its first Florida location in Tampa.
The Kennett Square restaurant will be operated by Chris and Maria Kotanidis. The West Chester-based pair are successful entrepreneurs with 30 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Maria is also a certified health coach specializing in nutrition and wellbeing.
“Chris and Maria are the best choice of partners for the Kennett Square location,” said Georgios (George) Drosos, CEO of GFG Bakery-Café. “Their combined experience is a welcome addition to the GFG team as we continue to expand our footprint across Pennsylvania and the country. The mayor of Kennett Square, Matt Fetick, recently claimed that ‘Everybody wants to build here,’ and he’s right. Kennett Square has a booming population, growing economy, and close proximity to West Chester and Philadelphia. The area is hungry for growth and authentic Greek cuisine.”
Drosos and a group of successful businessmen with high levels of industry experience and knowledge opened the first GFG Bakery-Café in 2017 to long lines and delighted customers. Nine other locations soon followed throughout Manhattan and New Jersey, and a new location in Tampa, Florida, opened in December 2019. This expansion will increase GFG Bakery-Café footprint to more than 40 stores, making them the dominant brand in Greek cuisine. With more deals in the pipeline, GFG projects over 100 units will either be open or in progress by the end of the year.
GFG Bakery-Café is currently seeking experienced multi-unit foodservice operators and scouting potential markets across the country and internationally. Those interested in joining GFG Bakery-Café as franchisees will get support from start to finish, from site selection expertise and sample floor plans to custom training systems and localized brand building.
To learn more about GFG Bakery-Café franchising opportunities, please visit http://go.fransmart.com/GFGbakery-Cafe.
Lead by a core team from Greece that can best be described as “traditional pioneers” dedicated to raising the bar of Greek food ordering and eating in America, GFG Café Cuisine (GFG) provides the visitor a friendly, comfortable environment, and a high-quality homemade taste experience with every bite. GFG is the only bakery in which all products are made in Greece. Wheat, olives, corn, tomatoes growing under the Greek sun and the beneficial sea breeze. And, GFG perfectly aligns with the universal shift towards organic, natural ingredients, and specific move towards the Mediterranean Diet, as a premier paradigm of healthy, natural eating.
As the leading franchise development firm in the country, Fransmart turns emerging restaurant concepts into successful national and global brands. Founded by Dan Rowe, the man who identified and grew brands such as Five Guys Burgers & Fries and QDOBA Mexican Grill from single unit businesses to the powerhouse chains they are today, Fransmart’s formula for success is finding emerging brands ripe for expansion and building successful multi-unit franchise businesses across the U.S. and globally. Fransmart’s current and past franchise development portfolio brands have opened more than 5,000 restaurants worldwide, and facilitated franchise investments that have cumulatively generated 1-billion in revenues to date. For more information, visit www.fransmart.com, Facebook at facebook.com/fransmart, Twitter at twitter.com/FransmartSocial, LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fransmart and Instagram at instagram.com/fransmartsocial.
