Fast Casual Seafood Leader Propels Expansion in Kentucky
Captain D’s, the leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today the opening of its newest franchised location in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. The new restaurant marks the brand’s 23rd location in the state and emphasizes Captain D’s continued development in Kentucky, with five additional locations slated to open over the next several years in Georgetown, Shelbyville, Shepherdsville, Owensboro and Danville. Located at 488 Indian Mound Road, the Mount Sterling restaurant will celebrate its opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony today at 10 a.m.
The new Mount Sterling Captain D’s is owned by sisters Jarka Wells and Simona Benes, with Jarka’s son Shawn Drake managing day-to-day operations of the restaurant. Wells and Benes have been part of the Captain D’s family for more than four decades thanks to their parents Jerry and Elfrieda Benes, who took over ownership of two Captain D’s restaurants in Richmond and Winchester, Kentucky. The new location is 2,800 square feet, with a drive-thru, and showcases the brand’s most recent beach design.
“We’re thrilled to continue our family’s legacy by adding another Captain D’s location to our family’s portfolio,” said Jarka Wells, Captain D’s franchisee. “Our four-decade tie to Captain D’s speaks volumes about our belief in the brand, as its guest-centric values and commitment to quality and service mirrors our own. We look forward to contributing to the company’s ongoing success as we expand Captain D’s presence in Kentucky and bring Mount Sterling residents freshly prepared, affordable seafood we know they’ll love.”
The opening of the new Mount Sterling restaurant furthers the success Captain D’s experienced in 2016, as the brand achieved its sixth consecutive year of same store sales increases and fourth successive year of record high system-wide average unit volume (AUV). This ongoing success has propelled Captain D’s franchise expansion, with agreements signed to open an additional 25 new restaurants in states across the country including Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia.
Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s ongoing strong performance. To date, nearly 60 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand’s new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year. With these efforts, Captain D’s has remained true to what it does best — serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price in a welcoming atmosphere.
With 518 restaurants in 21 states, Captain D’s is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand’s rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit http://www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-550-4877.
Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D’s has 518 restaurants in 21 states. Captain D’s is the nation’s leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D’s has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for more than 47 years. Captain D’s serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company’s signature hand-battered fish, which is cooked to order. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, and surf and turf, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D’s favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.