Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc. continues to expand its reach with the signing of commitments to develop 34 new Arby's restaurants.
The agreements, which include three new and ten existing franchisees, provide for the development of new Arby's restaurants in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Texas.
"We are working towards a long term goal of having 5,000 domestic Arby's restaurants so that we can increase access and convenience to our loyal customers," said Tom Garrett, President and COO, Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc. "While many of our franchisees have been with us for generations, we continue to attract new entrepreneurs as well. Our new franchisees realize we offer a unique business opportunity in the fast food industry."
The following are details for each signed development agreement with existing franchisees:
- Charlie Harmon "" Charlie Harmon, President of FX4, currently owns and operates 47 Arby's in the Phoenix market and has signed on to open 16 more. Harmon, who started his restaurant career at 16 as a bus boy, previously worked for Arby's then largest franchisee, RTM, before owning and operating his own Arby's restaurants starting in 2000.
- Mark Rhude "" Mark Rhude of Marglen, Inc. currently owns and operates eight Arby's restaurants in Arizona and has agreed to open three Arby's restaurants in Tucson, Rincon and Oro Valley, AZ. Rhude has been an Arby's franchisee since 1988.
- Bob McDonald "" Bob McDonald of Capital Foods, Inc. currently owns and operates seven Arby's in Ohio and has signed on to open two more located in New Albany and Pataskala, OH. McDonald has been an Arby's franchisee since 1996.
- Stephen Huse "" Stephen Huse joined the Arby's family just three years after its inception in 1964 and currently owns and operates 30 restaurants in Illinois and Indiana. Huse has agreed to open an additional Arby's restaurant in Clinton, IA.
- Lunan Corporation "" A family owned and operated franchisee, Lunan Corporation has been a part of the Arby's organization for nearly forty years and holds the distinction of opening Arby's 3,500th restaurant in Antioch, IL in 2006. Lunan currently owns and operates 64 Arby's restaurants in California, Illinois, and Nevada, and has signed on for one more to open in Yorkville, IL.
- James Pipino "" James Pipino of Niles Restaurant Business, Inc. joined Arby's as a franchisee in 1992 and currently owns and operates 10 restaurants across Ohio. Pipino has signed an agreement to open an additional Arby's in North Lima, OH.
- William Brusslan "" William Brusslan owns and operates three Arby's restaurants in California and has agreed to add one more in Simi Valley, CA. Brusslan has been with Arby's since 1969.
- Michael P. Schiappa "" Michael Schiappa of Schiappa Foods Corp. has been with the Arby's system since 2002 with six restaurants in Florida. Schiappa has signed on to open one more Arby's in Fort Pierce, FL.
- Michael Kay/Jason Palmer "" Michael Kay and Jason Palmer have agreed to add an additional Arby's restaurant in Douglas, Georgia to their restaurant portfolio. Kay and Palmer currently own and operate one Arby's in Vidalia, GA and joined the system in 2005.
- Patrick Higgins "" Patrick Higgins currently owns and operates one Arby's restaurant in Troy, MI and has agreed to open another in Sterling Heights, MI. Higgins originally joined the Arby's system in 2004 as a Director of Brand Marketing for Sybra, Inc. before becoming an Arby's franchisee in 2005.
In addition, Arby's is pleased to welcome the following new franchisees to the Arby's system:
Alfred Wong & Kenneth Wan will build an Arby's in Tustin, California.
Gene Lehman has agreed to build four restaurants in the Orlando area and one restaurant in Gainesville, Florida.
Perrin Larsh has a commitment to build one Arby's in Hill Country Village, Texas.
About Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc.
Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc., based in Atlanta, is the franchisor of the Arby's restaurant system, which consists of more than 3,500 restaurants worldwide, and is owner and operator of more than 1,000 of those restaurants located in the United States. Founded in 1964, Arby's quick service restaurants specialize in offering slow roasted and freshly sliced roast beef sandwiches as well as its Market Fresh® deli-style sandwiches, wraps and salads with the convenience of a drive-thru. Arby's offers guests a unique, great tasting alternative to traditional fast food with its one-of-a-kind menu items including the Beef "˜n Cheddar, Curly Fries and Jamocha shakes. Arby's Restaurant Group also owns and operates the T.J. Cinnamons® brand and is a subsidiary of Triarc Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRY, TRY.B). To learn more about Arby's, please visit www.arbys.com.
