Dive Brief:
- Dog Haus has appointed four out of 15 area directors, who have collectively signed over 400 restaurant commitments across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, according to an emailed press release.
- These area directors represent the first wave of development at the hot dog chain, which expects to announce a second wave during the first quarter and to sell out the entire country by the end of 2027.
- Dog Haus, which currently has roughly 50 restaurants, will use a regional development model to support 15 territories that gives area directors more control over growth as the chain plots a path toward 1,500 U.S. restaurants.
Dive Insight:
This development strategy is part of a model created under Chris Rigassio, who joined the brand during the summer as president and chief development officer.
Area directors are granted a specific territory that can handle up to 100 restaurants. Directors are tasked with developing their own restaurants and coaching other franchisees developing within that territory. They can also become equity partners, “aligning their returns with long-term performance of the system they build,” the press release said.
“Upon joining Dog Haus, the first thing we set out to build was the structure, not the pipeline,” Rigassio said. “Most brands sell master agreements to salespeople. We are awarding markets to proven, large-scale, multi-brand, multi-state operators. They live in their markets and will provide support in site selection, new store openings, maintaining brand standards and driving unit profitability.”
The initial four area directors include Nick Crouch, who owns over 135 Tropical Smoothie Cafe restaurants and will oversee development across Florida. PG1 Restaurants, which owns over 60 restaurants, will develop North Carolina, Tennessee, southern Virginia and West Virginia. Kyle Yancey, who owns Jersey Mike’s locations, will cover Delaware, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and northern Virginia. And Jesse Allen, who owns Jersey Mike’s and Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants, will oversee development of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Dog Haus also hired various individuals, all of whom previously worked at Jersey Mike’s, to support its aggressive growth plan. Lauren Belligham, who has roughly 20 years of experience, was named vice president of store development and will help support development from signed leases to opening.
The chain also appointed Jerry Kallman as vice president of franchise sales. Kallman has 30 years of experience in corporate leadership and franchise development, and built one of Jersey Mike’s largest area director territories. RJ Cancilla becomes director of real estate and will help with Dog Haus’ real estate sales and construction efforts using data-driven tools.
