East Coast Wings + Grill, a full-service, family-dining restaurant franchise, announced it has a new franchise partner who has signed a franchise agreement for Florence, South Carolina – the first of many deals to come as the regional brand expands throughout the Southeast.
The single-unit deal is with franchise partners Deep and Charmi Patel. The experienced owners are a part of successful businesses throughout Florence, which include convenient stores and a quick-service restaurant location.
The South Carolina franchise agreement follows the brand’s recent investments and focus on franchise sales and expansion strategy, which included a refreshed website and several measures to reduce overhead and further strengthen unit economics.
“We had a vision last year to reengineer the website and restructure our franchise sales strategies for the next five years to better attract and serve entrepreneurs in restaurant category,” says Sam Ballas, CEO of ECW+G.
“Part of the adjusted strategy involved putting the right people in the right seats at the company,” he adds, alluding to moving former Executive VP of Operations Mark Lyso to the role of Chief Development Officer.
Lyso, a 23-year franchise veteran, will lead franchise development strategy and build a franchise sales team to catapult the brand’s growth nationwide. Before joining ECW+G in 2017 in an operations role, Lyso spearheaded growth in franchise development roles for brands including Sizzler and Pizza Rev.
“Over the next three years, Mark (Lyso) will be expanding his development department with individuals who understand that strong unit-level economics is the foundation on which ECW+G is built,” Ballas notes.
East Coast Wings + Grill continues to remain at 46 percent side-door/carryout sales and experience a steady flow of 54 percent dine-in revenue. They are up 26 percent higher than pre-pandemic sales.
“The unwavering strength of our existing operators speaks volumes to the refined and reduced labor business model,” Lyso says. “We’ll be able to strategically place our streamlined operations into regional markets with the right franchise partners who understand you need a forward-thinking solution to generate and sustain profits in the changing restaurant landscape.”
