Max and Linda Richey, the husband-and-wife franchisee duo behind the signing, will help the Seattle-style teriyaki brand expand its footprint in the area with hopes to open three shops by 2025.
Houstonians, are you tired of the same old meal options night after night? Well, you’re not alone. Max and Linda Richey are right there with you. And who are these lovely-sounding people, you ask? The duo have signed on with Teriyaki Madness, the Seattle-style teriyaki shop, to open three locations in the Houston market. The Richeys have big plans to introduce the brand’s menu of high-quality, craveable teriyaki bowls to the Houston area with fresh ingredients, a healthy approach to fast casual and an energetic shop atmosphere created by its fun-loving team behind the counter.
The Richeys come from a long career in the oil and gas industry, spending over 20 years working for a multi-billion dollar oil field services business. Linda worked on the finance side, and Max was in operations management. For a brief period in the late-80’s, Max dipped his toes into restaurant franchise ownership, but ended up back in the oil business when it didn’t work out.
“Restaurant ownership is hard work, but I really enjoyed it,” said Max. “This year, my wife and I got excited again about the idea of managing and opening our own business, and started to look into restaurant opportunities.”
So, what was it that officially gave the Richeys their “right when I think I’m out, they pull me back in!” moment? We’ll give you a hint: it rhymes with Shmeriyaki Mattress.
“We came across the Teriyaki Madness story online and really connected with it,” said Max. “I personally love teriyaki bowls and there was nowhere to find them in our area of Northwest Houston. The more research I did, the more excited I got about the brand. We visited a franchise in Texas, ate some of the food and spent some time with the franchisee. After that it was a done deal.”
The Richeys say they could also tell right away the Teriyaki Madness franchise opportunity was a winner.
“My previous restaurant experience was in full-service, with large menus, a huge amount of staff and a lot of complexity,” said Max. “I always thought if we did it again, I would go with a fast casual concept. Teriyaki Madness offers made-to-order, fresh ingredients, with a small menu focused on the most popular items. Also, my research showed me immediately that Teriyaki Madness was becoming very well-recognized as one of the fastest-growing chains in the booming Asian cuisine category. That really excited me.”
And as long-time Houston residents, Max says they knew the Texas community and Teriyaki Madness were a match made in teriyaki bowl heaven. “We are in the northwestern part of Houston, namely Cypress, and there is nothing like Teriyaki Madness here,” he said. “We’ve lived here for a long time and we recognized an unmet demand for this kind of cuisine. Our goal is to become ingrained in the community and offer a delicious new meal option for all of our friends in the neighborhood. This is our way of giving back to the community we love so much.”
Looking ahead, the Richeys hope to open all three of their locations by 2025. “We are extremely happy and proud to be part of the Teriyaki Madness family and looking forward to bringing this special madness to the Houston area,” said Max.
So far in 2022, Teriyaki Madness has signed 10 new franchisees for 32 locations, with a goal of adding 50 by the end of the year.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Max and Linda to the Teriyaki Madness family,” said Michael Haith, CEO of Teriyaki Madness. “With their combined restaurant and business ownership experience, we are confident they will be great partners as we continue to expand our footprint and deliver something different to the customers of Houston.”
Fast-casual teriyaki shop franchise Teriyaki Madness is committed to unconditionally satisfying guests by offering delicious, made-to-order, healthy (or not) bowls, apps and sides, prepared with fresh, all-natural ingredients served quickly and at a reasonable price. Guests can enjoy their bowls in the shop, or order through the mobile app for delivery or curbside pickup. Teriyaki Madness has been ranked on Entrepreneur’s Top Food Franchises, FastCasual’s Movers and Shakers in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, the Inc. 5000 list for three straight years, and was named the #1 Fastest-Growing Restaurant Chain in the United States by Restaurant Business in 2021. Founded in 2003, the brand currently has more than 110 shops open, with franchising opportunities nationwide for qualified single and multi-unit candidates. For more information, visit www.franchise.teriyakimadness.com.
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