Huddle House Serves Up Hearty Plans for Growth
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Huddle House Serves Up Hearty Plans for Growth

Huddle House Serves Up Hearty Plans for Growth

Iconic all-day dining hub Huddle House is fine-tuned and primed for the future with a redesigned prototype, a flurry of restaurant openings, and accelerated plans for the family favorite franchise to expand in a town near you.

Huddle House fills a unique space in the restaurant sector with its hometown focus and “any meal at any time” Southern homestyle comfort fare. The Atlanta-based brand’s all-day breakfast offerings give multi-unit operators a delicious, diversified opportunity to grab a share of the lucrative $285 billion dining segment with a leading restaurant concept, says Peter Ortiz, new chief development officer for Ascent Hospitality, parent to Huddle House and Perkins Restaurant & Bakery.

Ortiz is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in franchise development with brands like Qdoba, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Potbelly, and Schlotzsky’s. Tapped to lead a dynamic growth strategy for Ascent Hospitality’s portfolio, it didn’t take long for Ortiz to see the potential in the concept’s charming hometown appeal and flexible build options.

“You would not believe the calls I get from people asking me to bring a Huddle House to their town,” says Ortiz. “We provide that small-town neighborhood feel in rural communities and people just love us. For investors, Huddle House is an unmatched opportunity to take advantage of prime real estate availability in attractive markets that remain untapped.”

Founded in Decatur, Georgia, in 1964, Huddle House has built its loyal following as a quintessential gathering spot to ‘huddle up’ after local high school football games, for family dinners, and every memorable occasion in between. With more than 300 locations open or in development, the brand remained resilient in 2020, adapting its business model with the addition of off-premises dining solutions and a redesigned prototype that features extra space for pick-up windows and an altered parking lot layout for easy curbside delivery.

With these operational enhancements, franchise partners can leverage Huddle House’s multiple restaurant formats and flexible buildout options to find the winning fit for their real estate needs, including inline, endcap, retrofit, and ground-up models. In addition, operators can easily integrate carry-out windows, patio seating, and seamless off-premise dining.

“In 2020, our team huddled up and adapted swiftly, leading to continued growth and the development of a new prototype for the brand, allowing franchisees to get the most out of their location,” says Michael Abt, Huddle House CEO. “Huddle House’s forecast for the rest of 2021 is bright. With a robust pipeline, new executive leadership guiding the way, and fresh menu innovations coming to locations across the country, these advancements will provide additional momentum for Huddle House.”

Entrepreneurs are taking note. Huddle House recently celebrated a new restaurant opening in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and eagerly awaits upcoming openings in Huffman and Odessa, Texas, as part of targeted franchise expansion efforts in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.

Tailored to franchisees looking to engrain themselves into their community or diversify investments by expanding their portfolios into the full-service restaurant industry, the Huddle House franchise model provides structure and scalability.

Ortiz sees unlimited possibilities for existing and new franchise partners to expand the presence of Huddle House nationwide.

“If there is a strong sense of community connection in a market, a desire for a new gathering place for neighbors to dine and an eager operator ready to bring this wholesome concept to their hometown, then we are confident these crucial ingredients will lead to success,” says Ortiz. “We are excited for our next chapter of growth and to engage with new communities across the country.”

To discover more about franchising with Huddle House, visit https://www.huddlehouse.com.

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Published: July 8th, 2021

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