Freeport, ME (RestaurantNews.com) Ground Round® Grill & Bar is expanding their location footprint from nine to eleven U.S. States, and opened their newest restaurant in Rutland, Vermont in late May. The Rutland location was a conversion of a former Ponderosa Steakhouse, and the first of five newly signed franchises gearing up to open under the Ground Round brand over the next few years. “Ground Round is a known, casual dining brand, and our unique structure offers each franchisee ownership in the brand, and input always in the company’s direction,” states Jack Crawford, President & CEO of Ground Round Independent Owner’s Cooperative, LLC (Ground Round IOC). “Our franchisees have owned and led our brand’s direction as a Cooperative since acquiring the brand in 2004.”
Following Rutland’s opening will be a newly built prototype building in Huron, South Dakota, with all of Ground Round’s latest design elements and featuring an expanded layout, to include meeting room space, as well. The Huron restaurant will be part of the multi-business, Wheatgrass Development in Huron, and is expected to open later in 2017. “We expect to begin site development and construction for the restaurant soon and we’re excited to bring Ground Round Grill & Bar to the Huron community,” notes Diane London, who will locally own the Ground Round franchise in Huron, and also owns a Perkin’s Restaurant and franchise in Pierre, SD. Another franchise agreement was signed for development in Ohio, which includes a newly built hotel and Ground Round restaurant, and a multi-unit commitment was signed to open up to two locations in Sioux Falls, SD over the next few years.
About Ground Round
Ground Round® Grill & Bar is a proven casual dining brand, and for more than 45 years has been known for its two-room design comfortable for families, friends and sports fans. The menu offers a wide variety of items, including limited time offers, daily specials and a full kids menu. The Ground Round has also been ranked for 3 straight years in Franchise Business Review’s – Top 40 Food Report, based on independent surveys conducted on Franchise Owners and their satisfaction with the Ground Round brand and support.
Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative (IOC) represents a group of independent franchise owners who have owned and led their own brand since 2004. They offer a unique franchise model where a franchisee can own their own restaurant along with an ownership/membership share in the overall future and growth of the brand. Ground Round IOC operates restaurants spread across the Midwest and Northeast areas of the United States, with headquarters based in Freeport, Maine. For more information, visit www.groundround.com.
