Franchise

Famous Dave’s Corporate Office

Famous Dave’s Barbeque was founded in Hayward, Wisconsin, in 1994 by Dave Anderson, an Ojibwe native who later headed the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. What began as a roadside BBQ restaurant has now developed into 200 locations in the U.S., one in Canada, and one location in Puerto Rico.

Famous Dave’s went public on the NASDAQ and can be found under the ticker symbol: BBQ. The restaurant has received more than 700 awards over the years for their secret barbeque sauce, including the 2012 People’s Choice Best Wings Award, the 2014 People’s Choice Best Barbeque, and the 2014 People’s Choice Best Catering Award.

In addition to restuarant’s, Famous Dave also sells its BBQ sauce, cornbread mix, and pickle chips in many major grocery store chains.

Famous Dave’s parent company, BBQ Holdings, wants to add other venues to its names, such as a breakfast restaurant or pizza.

Famous Dave’s maintains a corporate office in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Famous Dave's

History

In addition to restuarant’s, Famous Dave also sells its BBQ sauce, cornbread mix, and pickle chips in many major grocery store chains.

Famous Dave’s parent company, BBQ Holdings, wants to add other venues to its names, such as a breakfast restaurant or pizza.

Famous Dave’s maintains a corporate office in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Checkers Drive In Corporate Office

Founded in 1986 by Jim Mattei, Checkers Drive-In is one of America’s largest drive-through restaurants. The company operates both Rally’s and Checker names and began as a Checkers Drive-In located in Mobile, Alabama. The companies merged in 1999.

The company was sold in 2014 to a private equity group, Sentinel Capital Partners. Checkers Drive-In is now headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Both Rallys and Checkers offer little or no seating areas but have double drive-throughs on both sides of the location. A few older locations have drive and park service.

Checkers was sold to another private equity group, Oak Hill Capital Partners, in 2017 for $525 million.

Checkers Drive-In offers standard American food such as hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, and milkshakes. As of 2014, the company had 784 locations.

In 2018, the company announced that it would be expanding into the Pittsburgh area with more than 2 dozen locations planned.

In December 2022, Checkers opened a new location in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The company maintains a corporate office in Tampa, Florida.

Checkers Drive In

History

Checkers was sold to another private equity group, Oak Hill Capital Partners, in 2017 for $525 million.

Checkers Drive-In offers standard American food such as hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, and milkshakes. As of 2014, the company had 784 locations.

In 2018, the company announced that it would be expanding into the Pittsburgh area with more than 2 dozen locations planned.

In December 2022, Checkers opened a new location in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The company maintains a corporate office in Tampa, Florida.

Great American Cookies Corporate Office

Great American Cookies was founded in 1977 by Michael Coles and Arthur Karp. Each partner invested $4,000 to open a store inside the Atlanta Premier mall. The basic recipe for the cookies was one that was used by Karp’s grandmother.

The original Atlanta store is still in operation today. While it was originally believed that the company would not do well outside of mall locations, the company now has 290 locations across the U.S., not all of them located in shopping malls. The company has been sold several times, most recently in 2010 to Global Franchise Group.

In October 2020, co-founder Michael Cole published a book about leadership.

Great American Cookies makes and sells gourmet cookies such as chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia nut, and peanut butter cookies with M&M’s. The company also sells fudge brownies and cake cookies for special occasions.

Great American Cookies

History

In October 2020, co-founder Michael Cole published a book about leadership.

Blimpie Corporate Office

Blimpie was founded in 1964 in Hoboken, New Jersey. The company is a submarine sandwich shop with approximately 2,000 locations around the world. Almost all Blimpie locations are franchised.

Blimpie began testing a low calorie menu in 1989 that proved to be successful, but the company ran into difficult times in the 1990’s. After trying different concepts and products, Blimpie found success with Pasta Central in 1999, and Smoothie Island, a mixture of fresh fruit and fruit juice, in 1998.

In 2001, Blimpie was purchased by a private investor group for $25.7 million. A controlling interest by Kahala Corporation in 2013. Kahala Corp. has since changed their name to Kahala Brands.

Blimpie

Blimpie was founded in 1964 in Hoboken, New Jersey. The company is a submarine sandwich shop with approximately 2,000 locations around the world. Almost all Blimpie locations are franchised.

In 2001, Blimpie was purchased by a private investor group for $25.7 million. A controlling interest by Kahala Corporation in 2013. Kahala Corp. has since changed their name to Kahala Brands.

History

Long John Silver’s Corporate Office

Long John Silver’s was founded in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1969. The company operates a chain of fast and casual seafood restaurants. As of 2011, the company operates as part of LJS Partners, LLC.

Early style restaurants were known for their Cape Cod style buildings and blue roofs. Interiors featured items such as wooden ship wheels, floors that looked like gang planks, thick ropes, nets, and sword shaped door handles. The name of the restaurant, hence the style, was a pirate theme, after the novel Treasure Island.

Today, the company has 1,200 restaurant locations worldwide and employs more than 8,400 people. Long John Silver’s was once part of the Yum! brands but was sold to a group of franchises in 2011.

Long John Silver's

Long John Silver’s was founded in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1969. The company operates a chain of fast and casual seafood restaurants. As of 2011, the company operates as part of LJS Partners, LLC.

Today, the company has 1,200 restaurant locations worldwide and employs more than 8,400 people. Long John Silver’s was once part of the Yum! brands but was sold to a group of franchises in 2011.