The Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille opened its 43rd location and second New York-based site today, a new franchise unit located at 1740 Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow, on Long Island. The debut occurred just one week after the family-friendly sports-themed bar and grille began welcoming guests at its eight Virginia-based restaurant, located in the Chantilly Shopping Center in Chantilly, Va., near Washington, D.C., on November 16.
The East Meadow restaurant is the second of 10 locations scheduled to open under a development agreement with Burger Brothers Restaurant Group, Inc., which opened its first unit in 2013 in Long Island’s Franklin Square. Burger Brothers partners John and Jeff Froccaro also operate 36 Burger King restaurants throughout Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Queens. A third partner, Harry Braunstein, is a partner in Long Island-based law firm Braunstein Turkish LLP.
GT Mid States LLC, operator of the new restaurant in Chantilly, Va., now has six Greene Turtle locations throughout Maryland and Virginia, and development agreements calling on them to grow to at least 15 locations throughout the two states. The group also recently opened its first Roy Rogers franchise, part of a multi-unit development agreement with that quick-service chain, and operates two proprietary concepts, Blackwall Hitch and J. King’s Steak and Seafood.
So far in 2015, The Greene Turtle has opened six restaurants – including its first site in West Virginia – and announced new franchise agreements that will introduce the brand and to the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia and to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, with a site set to open in Winchester, Va., next month. Nearly 50 more franchise units are already committed to via signed development agreements. Last month also saw the announcement that private equity firm Stone-Goff Partners of Boston and New York had acquired the chain, infusing it with new energy and capital in support of continued growth.
“We’re going strong and growing stronger,” says Bob Barry, President/CEO of The Greene Turtle. “By the end of this year we’ll have opened seven locations, our biggest growth year to date. We’ve filled in gaps in the tri-state Maryland-Delaware-Virginia region, entered West Virginia, staked our claim on Pennsylvania, secured our first site in New Jersey and now have twice the brand presence in New York. Amplifying that excitement are the strength with which our newest locations are performing and the attention we’re attracting, as witnessed both by our new majority owners and the double-digit development deals we’ve been securing. We’re heading into 2016 with great optimism.”
The Greene Turtle’s strengths include its broad appeal to a comprehensive cross-section of today’s consumer population, from devout sports fans to young families to amateur youth and adult sports teams to seniors to virtually anyone seeking a casual, welcoming environment in which to enjoy their favorite food and beverages. Franchise investors also value the above-industry-average volume of high-margin beverage sales as a percentage of overall sales, and the chain’s ability to grow deep roots quickly within the communities it serves through an outreach program that includes: “Tips for Tots,” a fundraiser where staff at participating restaurants pool tips on a pre-determined date to purchase presents to donate to their local “Toys for Tots” drives; “Funds for Friends,” through which local organizations partner with specific restaurants and receive a portion of the day’s proceeds in exchange for encouraging their members, friends and families to patronize the location on a pre-set date; and a widespread practice of supporting youth and amateur sports leagues.
Franchise opportunities with The Greene Turtle are now available in markets throughout the eastern United States. For information on available territories, contact Tom Finn, Vice President of Franchise Development, at (443) 661-4298, ext. 104, or [email protected].
