Nov. 27, 2008, MD–Some in the restaurant industry may
be suffering in the current economy, but Howard Johnson, vice president of Eat
Inc. of Chestertown, says his eateries are doing fine, and his
company just signed a deal to develop up to 50 new pizzerias in Maryland and
Delaware.
The deal with RedBrick Pizza
Worldwide of Palmdale, Calif., gives Eat "exclusive rights" in this
area to develop the RedBrick brand, to add to the existing 75 RedBrick
restaurants in the U.S. and Canada.
"We are thrilled to expand in
the Northeast with Eat Inc., a company that has tremendous experience in the
fast-casual restaurant business," RedBrick president Jim Minidis said in a
statement.
"RedBrick Pizza's image is
fantastic," Johnson said. "It is sharp, urban and fresh." He
added that RedBrick appeals to all ages, from children to senior citizens. He
said that the quality of the product, the pricing and the overall concept will
appeal to Eat's target market throughout the Eastern Shore and Delaware.
Eat expects to open RedBrick Cafés
in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Caroline, Dorchester, Queen Anne's, Somerset,
Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties, plus Baltimore city and the Delaware
counties of Kent and Sussex, Johnson said.
Eat, which sold its Dunkin' Donuts
stores last year, operates 13 Subway sandwich shops and is adding five more
soon, he said.
"The ironic thing is major
restaurants are suffering, but we're actually increasing sales in our
restaurants," Johnson said. "We'll end up about $700,000 up in
same-store sales this year." Revenue for 2008 is expected to be about $4.5
million.
Johnson said he's
"excited" about the RedBrick Pizza deal and that "20 of the 50
stores will be owned by Eat Inc. and we'll franchise the other 30." The
first is slated to open in February in Caroline County. The franchise fee will
be $25,000 per store.
This year Restaurant Business
magazine ranked RedBrick Pizza eighth of its Future 50 fastest-emerging growing
chains in America, according to company information. In 2007, Fast Casual
magazine ranked the company ninth of its 100 Top Movers & Shakers.
RedBrick Pizza was awarded Nation's
Restaurant News' Hot Concept of the Year award for 2006 and was featured in
Sunbelt Foodservice's "On the Cutting Edge." In 2005 RedBrick was
among Entrepreneur magazine's Top 50 New Franchises, as well as QSR magazine's
Ones to Watch.
"We have demonstrated our
system is innovative, geared for growth, and our business model can be adapted
to audiences around the world," Minidis said. "Our fire-roasted
gourmet pizza is lower in carbohydrates and fat and has about one-third the
sodium of ordinary pizza, which makes it appealing to those looking for a
healthier alternative."
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