Innovative brand brings popular graze-style eating to Texans and has big plans for expansion in the state.
Graze Craze, a popular new concept featuring artfully designed, hand-crafted charcuterie boards for graze-style eating is proving to be popular in the Lone Star State. The newest Texas location is now open at North San Antonio’s Galleria Oaks shopping center at 16111 San Pedro Avenue, Suite 102. This is the 4th Texas location to open in 2022, with existing locations in Plano, Houston (Cypress), and Fort Worth and an additional location due to open in Shenandoah early in 2023. Each location is independently owned and operated by local entrepreneurs. Graze Craze is part of the community of award-winning brands affiliated with United Franchise Group (UFG).
Proud new franchise owners of Graze Craze’s first San Antonio storefront are husband-wife team, Ricardo Gutierrez Jr. and Helen Garcia. The couple is excited to share their passion for unique food and excellent customer service with the community by providing beautifully crafted charcuterie boards featuring specialty meats and cheeses with fresh fruits, vegetables, gourmet sweets and more. With Gutierrez, Jr.’s more than 20 years of experience working in the restaurant industry, the duo is excited to combine their skills to provide an unmatched culinary experience for the community that they call home.
“We’re thrilled to share the joy of grazing with the San Antonio-area,” said Garcia. “We love the Graze Craze concept and it’s so special that our charcuterie boards will be at the center of local family celebrations this holiday season and beyond.”
The location in Plano is owned by former corporate CFO, Rob Salinas who always dreamed of owning his own business. Knowing the extreme popularity and relevance of the charcuterie concept, he was excited to take advantage of the unique opportunities Graze Craze presented. Salinas’ passion for his faith, family, and the state of Texas, coupled with a love for serving others in his local community, has driven him to always provide an excellent, customized experience that exceeds all expectations.
“There is something special about having the opportunity to serve others,” said Salinas. “We love to see how excited our customers get when they receive their personalized grazing boards.”
The Houston (Cypress location) Graze Craze is the first of five locations that will open in the Houston-area under the direction of Samit Darne and his wife, Tejal Darne, who have nearly 20 years of business leadership experience. Drawn to the concept by its unique appeal, house-made ingredients and scalability, the Darnes are excited to expand the community’s access to fresh, beautiful charcuterie.
Celeena and Donnie Bedore are the franchise owners of the Graze Craze in Fort Worth and are sharing their love for charcuterie with the community. Looking to expand their business portfolio, the Bedores’ discovered Graze Craze and knew it would be the perfect passion project to run alongside their family.
“It is our franchise owners who make it possible to achieve the exceptional growth we are experiencing in the Texas market,” said Cory Hibbard, President of Graze Craze. “Texas remains on the culinary forefront for innovation, which makes this success especially meaningful. These communities have embraced our concept and in doing so, have also supported locally owned family businesses.”
Graze Craze boards and boxes feature gourmet, seasonal foods that are perfect for nibbling and sharing. The unique menu features several options for healthy snacks and lunches, office catering and special events. Whether it’s a formal affair for veggie lovers or a casual get-together complete with meat and cheese for a low-carb crew, Graze Craze has something to offer for everyone. Each charcuterie board is skillfully arranged by a Grazologist — a meticulously trained charcuterie concierge — with different size options available from single boxes for the lone grazer, to grazing boards with enough fresh food to feed a large wedding party or gathering.
Graze Craze is the leading franchise within the graze-style food category, offering an alternative experience to traditional dining options. At Graze Craze, in-store Grazologists curate hand-crafted, impeccably designed, sweet and savory picnic boxes and charcuterie boards, made with the highest quality ingredients and customized with perfection for every occasion. Originally founded in Oklahoma by US Air Force veteran, Kerry Sylvester, Graze Craze is now part of the United Franchise Group (UFG) family of award-winning affiliated brands and global leader for entrepreneurs. To find a location near you, please visit www.GrazeCraze.com/locations. For information about the menu, catering, gifts and commercial accounts visit www.GrazeCraze.com. For information on franchising opportunities, visit www.GrazeCrazeFranchise.com.
Led by CEO Ray Titus, United Franchise Group (UFG) is home to an affiliated family of brands and consultants including Accurate Franchising Inc., Exit Factor, FranchiseMart, Fully Promoted, Signarama, Transworld Business Advisors, and the Coworks division consisting of Franchise Real Estate, Network Lead Exchange (NLX), Office Evolution (OE) and Venture X as well as a food division featuring Graze Craze and The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. UFG affiliated brands include over 1600 franchises in more than 60 countries, with consultants that have helped develop over 350 brands into franchises, in over 80 countries with more than 2500 franchisees. With over three decades in the franchising industry United Franchise Group offers unprecedented leadership and solid business opportunities for entrepreneurs.
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