Cheeseburger Chain Smalls Sliders Plans to Open 9 New Locations
America's borders are already home to a mind-boggling number of burger restaurants between massive chains like McDonald's and all of the beloved local eateries out there. Now, lucky burger fans in one part of the country will have even more options to choose from thanks to a newly announced expansion deal from a flourishing chain.
This growing chain is Smalls Sliders, which specializes in seasoned waffle fries and sliders made with fresh ingredients. This week, the company unveiled a new development deal that will see entrepreneurs Aaron Zucker and Bob Peterson open nine new restaurants in North Carolina. This is a significant step for Smalls Sliders since it doesn't currently operate any locations in the southeastern state.
Zucker and Peterson expect to open the first of the planned locations by 2025, according to a press release published by QSR Magazine. Raleigh, Knightdale, Wake Forest, Garner, Fayetteville, Clayton, Apex, and Greenville are among the areas they'll focus on when developing the restaurants.
In a statement, Smalls Sliders CEO Maria Rivera expressed confidence in Zucker's and Peterson's potential as franchisees given their prior career experiences. Peterson has a background in restaurant operations, while Zucker has a background in commercial real estate.
"The caliber of our franchisees only continues to heighten as our brand grows nationwide, and that sentiment is absolutely true with Bob and Aaron," Rivera said. "This is a pair that has thought out every piece of their operations, and their backgrounds create a blend that is perfectly suited for success. We're excited to see them flourish in Raleigh, and we look forward to dropping new Cans across the state."
While the first Smalls Sliders only opened a few years ago (2019), the chain has already expanded to more than a dozen locations across Louisiana and Mississippi. It expects to open more than 40 new stores in 2024 alone and has hundreds in development in total.
Smalls Sliders' pipeline for new store openings will see it enter a host of new states. For example, the chain has announced a six-unit deal in Oklahoma; a five-unit deal in Houston; a 22-unit deal in Phoenix; a nine-unit deal in Tampa, Fla.; and a five-unit deal in Katy, Texas, since the start of 2024. The Smalls Sliders website also currently lists 27 upcoming store openings across Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas.
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