News

Slapfish entering Sunshine State

January 9, 2018

California's Slapfish is taking over Florida with its first location opening in the Sunshine State in mid-2018 in Orlando. Plans include 10 more restaurants throughout the state within the next five years, according to a company press release.  

The Florida franchisees are father-and-son  team, Brandon and Charles Bengel along with Les Hatter, who bring decades of experience expanding limited service concepts to Florida markets including the opening of 20 Five Guys. 

"From the moment we experienced Slapfish, we knew right away that this brand is the future of fast casual seafood," Brandon Bengel said in the release. "Slapfish is unlike any other concept in the marketplace and the industry as a whole with its versatile menu and commitment to serving well-managed seafood at affordable prices. In addition to filling a niche in the Orlando dining scene, we are confident that locals will fall in love with the brand, just like we did."

Founded as a food truck by Chef Andrew Gruel in 2011, the concept has since grown into 11 brick-and-mortar locations throughout California, New Mexico, and Utah, with upcoming openings in South Korea, the U.K., Oklahoma, Nevada, Arizona, northern Virginia and northern California in 2018.
 
"Florida is the perfect next step in our expansion strategy, as we can’t wait to pack our award-winning tacos, sandwiches, rolls and bowls with fresh-from-the-dock seafood," Gruel said. "We are redefining the way people eat seafood, and we look forward to introducing our bold flavors and responsibly sourced dishes to Floridians."