The delivery- and drive-thru-only build-out will launch in Atlanta next year.
Captain D’s, a national U.S. seafood restaurant franchise, has unveiled its new Express restaurant prototype. Featuring a significantly smaller footprint than its existing model, the Express build-out favors takeaway and drive-thru orders over the traditional dine-in experience.
Captain D’s Express is designed to fit within smaller areas within metropolitan markets, and requires an average footprint of almost 1,000 square feet less than the standard model, at an average footprint of 960 square feet. The locations are complete with a drive-thru and walk-up windows, and feature no indoor dining rooms. As a result, Express models can reduce start-up costs for franchisees by as much as 32 per cent.
“Long before the pandemic and subsequent social distancing mandates, we were intently listening to our guests and closely following evolving real estate trends, all which led to the development of our Express prototype,” said Phil Russo, vice president of real estate for Captain D’s. “Pre-COVID-19, 70 per cent of our sales were generated by off-premises dining – 50 per cent drive-thru and 20 per cent takeout – and those numbers have held strong over the past several months, only reinforcing the need and viability of Express’ design.
“In the months and years that lie ahead and the inevitable changes to come, we’re proud to offer both existing and prospective franchisees another flexible prototype option to help meet their individual needs, as well as grow our presence in untapped markets.”
The first Express location will be owned and operated by an existing Captain D’s multi-unit franchisee, Anil Dossani, and his business partner, Ali Dossani. The flagship site is projected to open in Q2 2021 in Atlanta’s College Park neighborhood, with two more Express units to open in the coming years.
“Since joining Captain D’s only two years ago, Ali and I have been eager to continue growing with the brand given the tremendous success we’ve achieved with our first two locations that we opened within a year of each other,” said Anil Dossani. “When we learned that there was an opportunity to bring the brand into the metro area of Atlanta and grow our market share, we jumped at the chance.
“Captain D’s has been an incredible franchisor, providing us with unparalleled support since we signed our first agreement; we couldn’t be more thrilled to further develop our portfolio and bring the first Express locations to the greater Atlanta area.”
