With the debut of a new restaurant in the equally new Virginia Tech Research Center, The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille reached 30 open units,a key milestone in its mission to expand to 150 eastern U.S. restaurants, and made a quick start of a year in which it expects to undergo the most significant growth ever in its 35+-year history.
The newly constructed, 7,200-square-foot restaurant sits on the ground floor of the seven-story, 144,000-square-foot Virginia Tech Research Center, which houses a number of Virginia Tech research centers and institutes, laboratories, offices and a conference center to accommodate symposia and other events for the science and technology communities. It is also close to the Ballston Common Mall and the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, home to the administrative and training facilities of the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
“We’re delighted to be part of this state-of-the-art facility, as it will undoubtedly attract local attention while also reaching a broader population in the Virginia Tech community and beyond,” said J. Michael Sanford, CEO of The Greene Turtle. “We’re equally excited to have reached this milestone in our expansion, and look forward to bringing The Greene Turtle to many more markets over the next several years.”
Poised For Record Growth
The new Greene Turtle is operated by franchisee Sattar Shaik, who opened a site in the Dulles Town Center in Sterling, Va., last July, and has committed to opening two more sites in northern Virginia. The Greene Turtle now has six restaurants open in Virginia, and deals in place for at least eight more. Aside from those awaiting development by Mr. Shaik, a separate franchisee group has signed an agreement to develop five franchises in Fairfax County. Efforts are now underway to locate franchisees for Richmond, Blacksburg and the Hampton Roads area, with a goal of reaching 25 locations statewide.
The Greene Turtle has also continued populating its native Maryland as well as Delaware with new locations, and has franchise sites slated to open in both of those states as well as Pennsylvania. Systemwide, more than 25 restaurants are currently committed to for development. As reported in Entrepreneur’s annual Franchise 500 ranking this month, The Greene Turtle’s franchise network grew by 40 percent in both 2010 and 2011. In 2012, the company intends to sign franchise agreements for 25 more restaurants and to open 10 to 12 more. Single and multi-unit franchise opportunities are available in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and New England. Details are available online at www.thegreeneturtle.com/franchise.php or by contacting Director of Franchise Sales Marty Welch at (855) TGT-INFO (846-4636), or mwelch@thegreeneturtle.com.
The Greene Turtle has been investing substantially in enhancing both its concept and its franchise package, through such measures as rolling out menu innovations including stuffed hamburgers and a variety of beer-based “stuffed” beverages, creating and filling a new vice president position to lead its marketing department, forging affiliations with area professional sports teams to capitalize on its sports bar theme, and setting up for qualifying franchisees to obtain Small Business Administration (SBA) loans.
“We’re poised for record growth this year, and we’re looking for ambitious, qualified investors to join us as we move into new markets and toward our next milestone,” said Sanford. “There has never been a better time to become part of our system.”
About The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille and The Greene Turtle Franchising Corp.
First opened in Ocean City, Md., in 1976, The Greene Turtle today includes 30 locations in markets across Maryland and extending into Washington, D.C., Virginia and Delaware. Combining comfort food, a casual atmosphere and a sports bar theme marked by big screen TVs broadcasting local and national events, “The Turtle” has become a popular year-round destination where families, friends and fans of all ages feel at home. AOL users in Baltimore named the chain “Best Sports Bar” (December 2010) and CBS Baltimore named The Greene Turtle among the best local spots to enjoy “March Madness.” Information is available online at www.thegreenturtle.com and www.facebook.com/thegreeneturtle. Fans can also join their favorite location’s individual Facebook page for the latest news about special events and offers, or follow their local restaurant for updates on Twitter.
Franchise opportunities with The Greene Turtle are available throughout the eastern United States to qualifying investors through The Greene Turtle Franchising Corp., whose majority stakeholder is JPB Capital Partners, a Columbia, Md.-based private equity partner for lower- to middle-market companies. For more information, contact Marty Welch, Director of Franchise Sales, at (855) TGT-INFO (848-4636), or mwelch@thegreeneturtle.com, or visit www.thegreeneturtle.com/franchise.php.
