News

Slapfish signs multi-unit deal for California

March 18, 2014

Slapfish, a Huntington Beach, Calif.-based seafood concept, has announced the signing of a multi-unit franchise deal to focus on Southern California.

The new franchisee is Abdelmuti Restaurant Group, led by Nedal Abdelmuti and Ahmad Abdelmuti, who plan to open a minimum of six stores over the next three years, with the first location planned for Newport Beach in 2014, according to a company press release.

"The process of choosing Slapfish was a no brainer for us. We had been fans of the concept since its food truck days, and we feel that if we were going to invest in a concept, great healthy food would have to be a focus," said Nedal Abdelmuti. "Slapfish is about a way of life — from only selling sustainable fish to recycling every product in the restaurant — and we can get behind a concept that gives more than it takes from the environment and community."

After the initial Newport Beach location is open this year, ARG will open a second site in either San Clemente or Irvine, and subsequent real estate sites will be sought out in areas including Costa Mesa, Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach, according to the release.

While Slapfish secured a major master franchise deal in the Middle East in 2013, the Orange County deal marks the first multi-unit franchise agreement for the United States. It's also set to open a second corporate restaurant in Laguna Beach this year.