News

Smashburger announces new CDO, agreements for 61 new units

May 21, 2014

Smashburger has promoted David Biederman to the position of chief development officer, where he will oversee Information Technology, Purchasing and Real Estate, in addition to his previous responsibilities leading Construction and Development.

“Dave has been an integral member of Smashburger’s core development team and was instrumental in developing the restaurant’s initial operating platform, smashing process, restaurant design as well as construction processes critical to the brand’s success today,” CEO Scott Crane said in a news release.

Smashburger also announced it has entered into franchise agreements with five new groups who will grow the brand across the U.S. Smashburger has also expanded its agreements with six veteran partners. The combined commitments, totaling 61 new restaurants, bring Smashburger’s total active franchise pipeline to approximately 461 restaurants, the release said. The new franchise commitments include:

• Upstate New York & Vermont: Smashburger has partnered with BG Restaurant Group to expand the brand’s presence in the Northeast with eight new restaurants set to open in Albany, N.Y. and Vermont.
• Jackson, Miss.: Smashburger has partnered with Mid South SB Investments to debut in Mississippi with the opening of 10 new restaurants in the greater Jackson-area.
• Fayetteville, N.C.: The company has partnered with Crowded Market Burgers to expand the brand’s North Carolina footprint to Fayetteville with three new restaurants set to open over the next few years.
• Annapolis, Md.: Smashburger has partnered with Ashford Holdings East to expand the brand’s Maryland footprint to Annapolis with three new restaurants.
• Pittsburgh: The company has partnered with Expandable Technologies to expand the brand’s presence into Western Pennsylvania with the opening of four new restaurants in Pittsburgh.

Additionally, Smashburger has entered into expanded franchise agreements with the following partners:

• Ventura, Calif.: The company has expanded its agreement with RK Hunter to bring three additional restaurants to Ventura. The group’s franchise portfolio now totals six Smashburger restaurants.
• Houston: Smashburger has expanded its agreement with Mid-Wicket Enterprises to bring three additional restaurants to Houston.
• Manhattan, N.Y.: Smashburger has expanded its agreement with Smash Partners to debut 10 new restaurants in Manhattan, New York. The group’s franchise portfolio now totals 34 Smashburger restaurants.
• Eastern Massachusetts: The brand has expanded its agreement with Savin Burgers to bring 10 new restaurants to Middlesex, Norfolk, and Essex counties.
• Queens, N.Y.: Smashburger has expanded its agreement with ISK Systems to bring four new restaurants to Queens, N.Y.
• Chester, Penn.: Smashburger has expanded its agreement SB Philly to bring three new restaurants to Chester County, Penn.  

The company expects to grow its unit count by approximately 30 percent in 2014.