Burger Chain Fuddruckers Beefs Up Presence with Express Concept
June 24, 2004
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Austin, Texas—Fuddruckers,
the fast-casual burger chain, is expanding its reach with a new
scaled-down express prototype designed for nontraditional venues.
With two franchised Fudds Express outlets already operating in food
courts in Montana, the 233-unit chain is set to debut its first
casino location in Harrah's in New Orleans later this month.
Negotiations also are underway to open an express unit in a major
metropolitan airport, according to Fuddruckers' franchise sales
manager, Dino Chavez. Fuddruckers began to grow beyond its suburban roots several
years ago with the introduction of Fudds in the City, a prototype
tailored for densely populated urban areas. Today there are six
company-owned and franchised Fudds in the City locations. The new
express prototype is expected to open up additional avenues for the
brand's expansion. "We're looking at airports and
casinos," Chavez said. "But we also would like to explore
[operating] express units in universities, museums and sports
stadiums." The Fudds Express encompasses about 500 square feet of space and
will serve a limited menu of hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken
sandwiches, Chavez explained. He added that the unit might offer
several smaller salads as well, although that remains undecided so
far. While Chavez would not estimate the average-unit sales volume
for the new express model, he acknowledged that it would be
considerably lower than the $1.5 million-plus the average
Fuddruckers restaurant generates annually. The company currently is
looking for affordable sites in metropolitan areas, including
Boston, Houston, Los Angeles and New York. Fudds in the City units
run from 2,000 square feet to 4,000 square feet and seat from 80 to
100 guests. -Nation's Restaurant News Content Continues Below
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