Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. (ARG) announced Oct. 19 that it signed development agreements with Pete Lyders-Petersen to open an initial 20 restaurants in the North and Northwest Chicago suburbs as well as Faisal Merchant to open an initial five restaurants in downtown Chicago and the Southwest Chicago suburbs. Lyders-Petersen and Merchant are new franchisees to the Arby’s system.
“We know how to develop strong-performing restaurants in large urban markets,” said Greg Vojnovic, Chief Development Officer of ARG. “In Chicago, we’re proud to welcome Pete and Faisal — two proven multi-unit operators and developers who are adding Arby’s to their restaurant portfolios for the first time.”
The Arby’s brand has been working to expand its restaurant presence in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia and Seattle. “There’s been a tremendous level of excitement and interest from franchisees regarding access to these large urban markets,” Vojnovic said.
“Arby’s has experienced strong growth in recent years,” said Merchant, who currently operates 19 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants and three Wingstop restaurants in Chicago. “Every Arby's franchisee I’ve spoken with loves the brand’s culture, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Lyders-Petersen currently operates nearly 200 Taco Bell restaurants and 12 KFC restaurants throughout the Midwest. “I’ve been very impressed with the culture at Arby’s and their leadership team,” he said. “The more I got to know the brand, the more it became clear that adding Arby’s to my restaurant portfolio was the right move to make.”
Headquartered in Atlanta, Arby’s has more than 3,300 restaurants in seven countries.
