CULVER CITY CALIF. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Founder Jeff Weinstein first opened The Counter in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2003 as a stylish casual-dining restaurant with a full bar that invited guests to create their own gourmet burgers by selecting from an array of meats, toppings, buns and sauces listed on a clipboard at each table. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
The 72-seat, less-than-2,500-square-foot restaurant tallied more than $1.2 million in sales its first year, a number that is expected to grow to about $3.2 million for 2007, though Weinstein last year sold the original unit to a franchisee who also bought rights to develop part of Los Angeles. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Another franchisee, Peter Katz, opened units in the Northern California cities of Palo Alto and San Jose and has become an area developer there with plans to open 20 to 30 over the next seven years. After this week’s opening in Plano, franchisee Todd Murrah and his partners are planning four more in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and franchisees in Orange County, Calif., and West Palm Beach, Fla., each are expected to open the first of multiple units later this year. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Weinstein and business partner Craig Albert, meanwhile, intend to develop the Washington, D.C., area with 12 to 15 company-owned restaurants there, beginning with Reston, Va., scheduled to open in early 2008. The partners also are looking for locations in Las Vegas. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
“The beauty of this brand is that it appeals to everybody,” Weinstein said. “When we started, it was for thirtysomethings, but we quickly found out it was for anyone from 5-year-olds to 90-year-olds, and now we’re proving it works elsewhere.” — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Weinstein estimates that customers can choose from more than 312,000 possible combinations in building their own burgers. Besides the standard, “100-percent-natural” Angus beef patty in various sizes, burger choices include turkey, veggie, grilled chicken or the typically exotic “burger of the month,” such as a Moroccan-style salmon burger. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
There are 10 types of cheese, 26 toppings and 17 sauces. Sides include the typical fries, as well as sweet-potato fries and onion rings. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Carb-avoiders can choose a “burger in a bowl”—served over salad without a bun. Drinks include shakes and an eclectic variety of wines, beers and cocktails. The average check is about $12.50. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Restaurant consultant Aaron Noveshen of The Culinary Edge in San Francisco said The Counter concept’s strength is the quality of ingredients it offers, as well as its premium prices and attractive decor. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
One challenge, however, is that guests can concoct a burger that might not necessarily taste good, he said. And, unlike easily replicated franchise brands like Subway, The Counter is also a much more complex operation. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
“It would be wise for them to engineer the concept so it’s extremely easy to execute if they’re going to grow that quickly,” Noveshen said. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Weinstein initially planned to franchise the concept under partner Albert’s Los Angeles-based company Flavor Firm, franchisor of the Tacone fast-casual and City Kitchen business-catering brands. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
However, Albert said, it soon became clear that The Counter needed its own infrastructure. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Establishing the brand under franchisor CB Franchise Systems LLC, based in Culver City, Albert and Weinstein, who share the role of co-chief executives, last year brought in as chief operating officer Rick DeMarco, a veteran executive of California Pizza Kitchen, House of Blues and the franchise development company Fransmart. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Franchisee Katz, a former technology executive who said he fell in love with The Counter after eating at the original in Santa Monica, launched the Palo Alto unit as the chain’s first franchise last August. The 2,200-square-foot restaurant has been averaging about $50,000 per week in sales, he said. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Katz predicts that his second unit, which opened in July in San Jose’s Santana Row, will do even better because of its premium location. He is currently negotiating leases in Sunnyvale, Calif., and the Sacramento area. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Steve Gruman, a former Los Angeles advertising executive who bought the Santa Monica location and development rights for part of Los Angeles, plans to open a second unit in its coastal Marina del Rey area next year. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
Weinstein acknowledged that The Counter’s rapid growth pace is risky. — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
“I recognize that the graveyards are littered with concepts that grew too fast,” he said. “But the graveyards are also littered with concepts that grew too slowly.” — A full-service, build-your-own-burger franchise concept from Southern California called The Counter is scheduled to open in Plano, Texas, this week, marking the fourth unit in what its creators predict will be a 30- to 40-unit national chain within the next two years.
