NFL Player and Former Track Star Opening First Cheba Hut in Frisco, TX

Frisco, TX - The San Francisco 49ers’ Kerry Hyder and his wife, former track runner Jasmine Hyder, are looking to score with diners as they open a new Cheba Hut franchise in Frisco, Texas.

When the 49ers were pushed out of Santa Clara due to COVID restrictions, the team moved to the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for three weeks in late 2020. During this time, Kerry spent a lot of time in hotel rooms ordering from DoorDash. There, he discovered Cheba Hut and became hooked on the brand.

“I was getting the same sandwich every day, and it was great,” Kerry said. “I asked my wife, who is from Arizona, ‘What is this place?’ And she said, ‘That’s Cheba Hut,’ and she gave me the whole spiel. I could tell she was excited about it.”

Jasmine grew up with the brand, having gone to high school a few miles away from its first location. Her history with the restaurant spoke to her as the couple started investigating franchise opportunities.

“When looking for a restaurant franchise, we knew we needed to pick something that was true to us and would allow us to be ourselves,” said Jasmine. “We’re lucky to have been able to take our sports as far as we have, and that has given us the opportunity to pick a franchise that allows us to do what we want to do. Cheba Hut has been there for us to make great sandwiches, represent where I’m from, and reflect what we stand for.”

As the couple considers the next phase of their careers, they plan to evolve with the ever-changing Cheba Hut and explore their passion for food and restaurant ownership.

“We want to keep that old-school ‘Hut’ in there, but we also want to explore new ideas with the brand,” said Jasmine.

As founder Scott Jennings has expanded the company, he’s managed to find the delicate balance of growing through franchising without losing sight of what makes the brand unique — its people. Cheba Hut gives franchise owners a playbook to run their business but also allows them the freedom to make each of their restaurants as distinctive as they are.

“As we grow, we don’t want all of our restaurants to look exactly the same. The beauty of franchising is that you get to grow your business by partnering with someone that understands that local community,” said Jennings. “I’m proud of what we’ve built, but we want to give our franchise owners the freedom to customize their store and put their stamp on it.

Franchisees can choose from five to seven store models that have different finishes and individual characteristics to keep the brand from looking cookie-cutter. We also encourage franchisees to create two signature sandwiches that are exclusive to their restaurants. It gets buy-in from the staff and shows that we are a locally owned and operated business.”

Cheba Hut has been escaping the established and getting “toasted” since 1998. Breaking the mold of mundane fast-casual concepts by becoming the first marijuana-themed sandwich “joint”, Cheba Hut is dedicated to providing customers with delicious and memorable sandwich and munchie options in a chill, eclectic environment where made-to-order food is served by genuine people. Cheba Hut's fun and authentic dining experience includes a full-service bar and highlights its menu because it’s not about getting high; it’s about epic food and legendary service.