| Welcome back, Bennigan?s! We know you're cravin' a Turkey O?Toole, and you're in luck: the restaurant is orchestrating its relaunch in Texas after going bankrupt a few years ago. | |
| We spoke with Bennigan's Franchising Co CEO Paul Mangiamele, whose firm bought the Bennigan's brand in 2008 and has spent the last three years revitalizing the concept. He plans to open a flagship restaurant and training facility in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Q4 ?11 (or Q1 ?12 if he has to build from the ground up). In the next few years, he hopes to put 10 restaurants each in DFW and Houston, five in San Antonio and Austin, and single stores in smaller Texas cities. (So there's hope for the 1,600 residents of Bartonville?) | |
| Paul tells us he would love to reopen some vacant Bennigan's where it makes sense. There are about 55 of these around the US worth a look-see, including 20 in Texas. In general, he wants to get away from the freestanding building model. A recently opened Wisconsin location is an endcap, which Paul thinks is more economically viable. The store would need at least 4,000 SF (down from 9,000 SF, the old Bennigan?s average), a patio, and some great co-tenants. | |
| Henry S. Miller is exclusively representing Bennigan?s across Texas, so we hit up the firm's Daniel Harris. There's no timeline for new locations: great credit franchisees and sites are more important. He's looking at demographics, daytime population, traffic, and visibility across the major Texas markets. Daniel and Paul are already pulling together a franchisee and location in the Dallas area. |
BEEN (AROUND THE BLOCK) AGAIN
Continue reading this story with a free account
Log in or register
Related Topics:
Daniel Harris
