VooDoo BBQ Signs 26-Location Expansion, Credits Deal to FBR Partnership

by FBR

Louisiana Chain Signs Largest Franchise Deal in Company History with Help from Franchise Business Review

NEW ORLEANS, LA and PORTSMOUTH, NH—VooDoo BBQ & Grill has reached an agreement to open 26 restaurants in Florida—doubling the Louisiana-based company’s locations—in a deal that is being credited to the company’s work with market research firm Franchise Business Review.

VooDoo started working with Franchise Business Review a year ago, using FBR’s annual survey to gauge franchisee satisfaction and using FBR’s leads program to drive business. Senior Director of Franchise Development Chad Tramuta said it was this leads program that led VooDoo to the Florida franchisee, a five-person partnership that goes by the name BBQ Boyz LLC.

“As I say all the time, our relationship with Franchise Business Review has truly been enjoyable on so many levels. Their ability to provide us with real qualified leads is unmatched in my opinion. It’s easy to see why we’re looking forward to awarding many more franchisees with FBR’s assistance,” Tramuta said.

Jack Flechner, a BBQ Boyz partner and a Five Guys franchisee, discovered VooDoo on Franchise Business Review’s website back in April. Using FBR’s site, he was able to compare VooDoo against a number of other national food brands and contacted Tramuta through an online form.

“FranchiseBusinessReview.com is definitely a good place where there’s a lot of franchise information that you can use to compare different brands. That’s one of the nice benefits of what I found,” Flechner said.

BBQ Boyz plans to open 13 VooDoo restaurants in the next five years and the full complement of 26 within a decade. The first restaurant will open in Miami within eight months. The territory encompasses most of Florida and will have locations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Jacksonville.

The deal is the largest in VooDoo's nine-year history.

"For us, this is absolutely huge," said VooDoo CEO Tony Avila. "We're establishing a large footprint in the nation's fourth-most-populous state. I think years from now, we'll look back at this agreement with BBQ Boyz as a monumental moment for VooDoo BBQ."

VooDoo was founded by a group of entrepreneurs with roots in the Ruth's Chris organization. They opened the first VooDoo BBQ & Grill on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans on Mardi Gras day 2002. Over the next nine years, the company grew steadily, proving itself in the competitive culinary arena of south Louisiana and building a huge fan base.

"Now we're ready to take our New Orleans-style flavor and magic way beyond Louisiana," Avila said. "Florida has great food. We're excited and confident that Floridians will appreciate and love what VooDoo BBQ has to offer."
 

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