Shane’s Rib Shack, the leader in fast casual barbecue, is pleased to announce new franchise agreements totaling more than 50 units, including 25 new stores in Alabama and 20 new stores in Central Florida. The company also opened nine units in 2010 with the most recent opening in Boca Raton, FL, a newly created extended fast-causal concept.
In 2011, Shane’s Rib Shack expects to open approximately 12 units, including six in early 2011 in Athens and Pooler, GA; Birmingham and Mobile, AL and Panama City and Ocala, FL.
Shane’s Rib Shack was purchased by Petrus Brands in January 2009. The founder, Shane Thompson, returned to direct the brand with a clear focus to take it “back to its roots.” Thompson claims that “after improving operations, food quality, and consistency of execution, we are poised and ready for rapid growth. Based on the ‘brand rebirth,’ we are on the radar screen of multi-unit operators and will continue to complete multiple, multi-store agreements in 2011 and beyond.”
According to Thompson, Shane’s Rib Shack has a focused development strategy which will see the company fill existing core markets and expand to new contiguous markets. Targeted growth markets for 2011 include Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. In addition, growth plans include expansion with multi-unit operators in major DMA’s east of the Mississippi.
Shane’s Rib Shack offers a variety of footprints to ensure maximum market penetration and saturation points. While the standard Shane’s is between 1,800 to 3,200 square feet, the company also has the flexibility to design less traditional options as small as 600 square feet, including mall, university and airport locations.