Franchising

Zunzi's launching regional franchise program

Provided

December 7, 2021

Zunzi's, a 16-year-old takeout shop known for its South African-inspired sandwiches, is launching a regional franchise program aimed at expanding the Savannah, Georgia-based brand as well as Zunzibar, its beach-bar sister concept, in select markets across the Southeast.

"The restaurant business sucks, and we are here to change it," Chris Smith, Zunzi's co-founder, said in a company press release. "As a former multi-unit Five Guys franchisee, I saw how demanding a fast-growing franchise can be. We want our franchisees to not only be successful in the restaurant business but also in life. Achievement without fulfillment is the ultimate failure. We want them to wake up every day with a sense of purpose bigger than themselves. When they become a Zunzi's + Zunzibar franchisee, they will quickly understand that the path to success starts with serving the stakeholders they impact and making them say SHIT YEAH!"

The company will recruit franchisees and develop locations through Zunzi's Franchising LLC, a newly formed subsidiary. The program's focus is centered on a 10-state area encompassing Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

"I love this business, but it is not for the faint of heart," Smith said. "We want franchisees that choose to be in this business, understand how difficult it can be, and join our vision to make positive change by solving problems together. When we do this, we create value for our six stakeholders — Team, Franchisees, Fans, Community, Vendors and Investors — and that is good business. We want them all to say 'SHIT YEAH!' If they don't say it or feel it, we want them to let us know and we will make it right. That's a promise! This is how we have done business since 2005, and it's the secret sauce to our success."

COO Ryan Harrison, who oversees franchisee recruitment, helped launch Gusto!'s catering program, eventually becoming its director of B2B and community development before joining Zunzi's.

"The one thing we preach over and over at Zunzi's is culture," Harrison said in the release. "We're not looking for a franchisee just with deep pockets—we're looking for someone who embraces our vision, mission and promise. We want our franchisees and our guests to leave Zunzi's shouting our motto: 'SHIT YEAH!'"

The franchise program follows the blueprint of the inaugural Zunzi's + Zunzibar hybrid location that opened earlier this year in Savannah. Zunzibar, which features a beach theme and live music, serves a selection of handcrafted cocktails, frozen drinks, wine, draft and canned beers and a variety of spiked seltzers. Guests may order Zunzi's menu favorites from a kiosk or on their phones with QR codes. Zunzi's also has a walk-up window for street traffic and a separate window for online and delivery orders.

"Full service, QSR and fast casual are facing pressures from every direction," Smith said. "Diners, especially Gen Z and millennials, look for two different things: convenience or experience. Zunzi's is a takeout, delivery and catering model at its core that checks the 'Netflix & Chill' box."

Zunzi's food was made for takeout and delivery, not the other way around. With the addition of Zunzibar, guests may enjoy Zunzi's food while having a unique and elevated bar experience.

"Nothing makes me happier than seeing a guest eat out of a takeout box while sipping on one of our handcrafted cocktails like our Capetown Tea," Smith said. "We have taken the best parts of QSR, fast casual and full service and created a business model that will give our franchisees every opportunity possible to be successful while giving our fans what they want, whether it be takeout, delivery or a fun and laid-back in-store experience."

Zunzi's first opened its doors in 2005.