Famous Toastery Targets The Sunshine State for Franchise Growth

Famous Toastery, the 25-unit, North Carolina-based franchise, has made a “famous” name for itself in the Southeast by offering the freshest breakfast, brunch and lunch offerings in its segment. Now, the brand is looking to leverage that strong positioning to expand into new states, with its sights set on sunny Florida to start.

“Florida is the logical next step for our expansion,” said Eric Gustafsson, Vice President of Franchise Development. “We’ve been successful in the Carolinas and Georgia, and we are now looking to repeat that success in Florida. With the growing population and a lack of good breakfast restaurants, we find there is a large opportunity there. Florida’s business environment is also great for franchising in general.”

According to the 2020 census, Florida’s population has exceeded 22 million and is expected to grow to over 26 million by 2030. Florida is also one of the top states people are currently moving to, with five out of the 10 of the country’s most-moved-to cities. Florida also consistently ranks among the best states for business, thanks to its pro-business state tax policies, competitive cost of doing business and streamlined regulatory environment.

“In Florida, there is a range of consumer demographics between the people who live and support the area year round and the people who come from out of town for a short visit or vacation,” said Gustafsson. “Both groups are ideal customers for Famous Toastery. There is also a large population of retirees that have the money and disposable income to spend on eating out every day. As a result, breakfast, brunch and lunch brands have traditionally done very well in Florida.”

Gustafsson says the Famous Toastery team has identified 60 trade areas across the state of Florida that they feel can make very strong locations for a Famous Toastery. The brand is looking for franchisees everywhere, from Pensacola and Panama City over to Jacksonville, as well as both coasts, including Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm, Tampa, and Sarasota. Orlando is also a big target for Famous Toastery, with 27 potential trade areas throughout the city.

Incoming Famous Toastery franchisees in Florida will be able to take advantage of the strong reputation the brand has built across the Southeast. From its one-of-a-kind “every server is your server” mentality to its scratch kitchen, Famous Toastery is known for its “Famously Fresh” menu of delicious food. Recently, the brand rolled out several new menu items, including a protein power bowl, shrimp and grits, and a partnership with Abby’s Better Nut Butter.

Regarding the business model, the Famous Toastery team has also been perfecting the formula for franchise success and giving owners every opportunity to run restaurants efficiently and cost-effectively while having the chance to “be famous” in the communities they serve.

“Overall, Florida is really one of the strongest untapped markets we have for Famous Toastery,” said Gustafsson. “We've been all up and down the East Coast, but we really haven’t tapped into Florida. It is such a large landmass and population, so it is really the next horizon for us.”

Looking to the back half of the year and beyond, the Famous Toastery team aims to have 50 locations open by the end of 2024. Five to seven deals will be in North Carolina, and the rest in South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Florida.

“We are ready to ramp up our expansion significantly, but the ultimate mission right now is to find the right partners who can come in and help us grow at the unit level,” said Famous Toastery President Michael Mabry. “Now that we are three-quarters through 2022, we believe the sum of our parts is greater than all individual pieces. Each new initiative and strategy we launched at the start of this year complements our ultimate goal — to be famous.”