Smashburger, the national better burger restaurant known for its fresh, smashed to order burgers, today announced it has promoted David Biederman to the position of Chief Development Officer, where he will oversee Information Technology, Purchasing, and Real Estate, in addition to his previous responsibilities leading Construction and Development.
“Dave has been an integral member of Smashburger’s core development team and was instrumental in developing the restaurant’s initial operating platform, smashing process, restaurant design as well as construction processes critical to the brand’s success today,” said Scott Crane, chief executive officer of Smashburger. “I would like to congratulate him on his promotion, and we look forward to leveraging his expertise in a broader way to reinforce operations, develop and strengthen the Smashburger brand across the globe.”
Additionally, Smashburger announced today it has entered into franchise agreements with five new groups who will grow the brand across the U.S. Smashburger has also expanded its agreements with six veteran partners. The combined commitments, totaling 61 new restaurants, bring Smashburger’s total active franchise pipeline to approximately 461 restaurants set to open over the next several years.
Smashburger’s new franchise commitments include:
- Upstate New York & Vermont – Smashburger has partnered with BG Restaurant Group to expand the brand’s presence in the Northeast with eight new restaurants set to open in Albany, NY and Vermont over the next several years.
- Jackson, MS – Smashburger has partnered with Mid South SB Investments to debut Smashburger in Mississippi with the opening of 10 new restaurants in the greater Jackson-area over the next several years.
- Fayetteville, NC – Smashburger has partnered with Crowded Market Burgers to expand the brand’s North Carolina footprint to Fayetteville with three new restaurants set to open over the next few years.
- Annapolis, MD – Smashburger has partnered with Ashford Holdings East to expand the brand’s Maryland footprint to Annapolis with three new restaurants set to open over the next few years.
- Pittsburgh, PA – Smashburger has partnered with Expandable Technologies to expand the brand’s presence into Western Pennsylvania with the opening of four new restaurants in Pittsburgh over the next few years.
Additionally, Smashburger has entered into expanded franchise agreements with the following partners:
- Ventura, CA – Smashburger has expanded its agreement with RK Hunter to bring three additional restaurants to Ventura, CA. The group’s franchise portfolio now totals six Smashburger restaurants.
- Houston, TX – Smashburger has expanded its agreement with Mid-Wicket Enterprises to bring three additional restaurants to Houston, TX. This local franchise commitment now totals 14 Smashburger restaurants, including three open locations.
- Manhattan, NY – Smashburger has expanded its agreement with Smash Partners to debut 10 new restaurants in Manhattan, New York. The group’s franchise portfolio now totals 34 Smashburger restaurants, including three open locations in Westchester County, NY and the first in Manhattan. The veteran restaurant group also operates more than 25 Dunkin’ Donuts franchises in New York City and Long Island, NY.
- Eastern Massachusetts – Smashburger has expanded its agreement with Savin Burgers to bring 10 new restaurants to Middlesex, Norfolk, and Essex counties. The group’s portfolio now totals 22 Smashburger restaurants, including one open location in Natick, MA. They are also franchisees of six Wings Over restaurants in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
- Queens, NY – Smashburger has expanded its agreement with ISK Systems to bring four new restaurants to Queens, NY. This local franchise commitment now totals 24 Smashburger restaurants, including four open locations in Long Island, NY.
- Chester, PA – Smashburger has expanded its agreement SB Philly to bring three new restaurants to Chester County, PA. The group’s franchise agreement now totals 16 Smashburger restaurants, including two open locations in Philadelphia, PA and Southern New Jersey.
“Our first quarter of 2014 was particularly strong for Smashburger franchise sales, outpacing all of 2013 in a single quarter,” commented Scott Crane, CEO of Smashburger. “We see this as a clear indication that our brand is resonating with franchise partners as well as with the consumer, who is demanding better dining options in their communities. We are thrilled to expand our relationships with these veteran franchisees and welcome each of our new partners to the Smashburger family. We look forward to working together to develop our leading fast casual brand in new and existing territories across the country.”
Smashburger expects to grow its unit count by approximately 30 percent in 2014. The company continues to actively seek franchise partners to develop and grow the brand domestically and internationally including Chicago, IL, Columbus, OH, and Indianapolis, IN, in addition to Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin and the Pacific Northwest. For more information about Smashburger franchise opportunities, please visit www.smashburger.com/franchising
