Experiential Brands, a leading portfolio of fast casual restaurant concepts including The Original Hot Chicken, Flametown Burgers, INKED Tacos, and Pinsa Roman Pizza, announced today its first university openings. Experiential Brands opened locations at Auburn University, East Carolina University and the University of Tennessee, marking a significant milestone in the company’s strategic expansion into non-traditional markets.
The recent expansion at college campuses is part of Experiential Brands' broader strategy to reach diverse consumer segments in high-traffic, non-traditional venues. These openings will introduce the brand’s innovative dining concepts to an on-the-go demographic, offering students and faculty convenient access to quality, fast-casual dining options.
“Our restaurant concepts are expertly designed to fit into a space like a college campus, as a food truck, or as a stand-alone restaurant. We’re excited to grow our non-traditional presence across college campuses,” said Aziz Hashim, Founder and CEO of Experiential Brands. “Being a part of the on-campus community with our university partners gives students and staff the opportunity to enjoy delicious, affordable meals to curb any craving.”
Experiential Brands' restaurant portfolio includes The Original Hot Chicken, offering southern-style hot chicken, Flametown Burgers, serving grilled-to-perfection burgers, INKED Tacos, a Birria Taqueria, Pinsa Roman Pizza, featuring flatbread style pizza with a cloudlike crust, and BarSocial, a gathering place to enjoy drinks and entertainment. Each college campus will have a combination of Experiential Brands restaurants available as dining options.
“Tiger Dining is always working to elevate Auburn Student’s dining experience. When presented with the opportunity to partner with Experiential Brands, we were impressed by their broad portfolio and how easily they could adapt to our needs,” said Glenn Loughridge, Director of Dining and Concessions at Auburn. “They have fresh concepts that resonate with our student demographic and bring unique flavors that add variety to the dining options at the Melton Student Center.”
- Auburn University: The Original Hot Chicken, Flametown Burgers, & INKED Tacos (opening in October)
- University of Tennessee: The Original Hot Chicken & Pinsa Roman Pizza
- East Carolina University: Flametown Burgers & INKED Tacos (opening in September)
In addition to expansion within college campuses, the company has established a presence internationally with non-traditional restaurants in London and Dubai and is set to open The Original Hot Chicken with a brick-and-mortar location in Toronto later this year. Experiential Brands recently debuted SocialBites, a food hub with all four restaurant concepts and BarSocial under one roof. As the brand continues its expansion of delivery only locations and off-premise consumption around the world, it remains flexible to meet today’s consumer preferences. To learn more about Experiential Brands, visit: experiential-brands.com.
About Experiential Brands:
Experiential Brands is a portfolio of fast casual restaurant brands designed to deliver rapid returns on invested capital for operators. Consisting of five scalable brands including The Original Hot Chicken, INKED Tacos, Flametown Burgers, Pinsa Roman Pizza, BarSocial, and SocialBites Food Hub. Experiential Brands is led by one of the franchise industry’s most prolific leaders, Aziz Hashim. Visit https://www.experiential-brands.com/ for additional information and stay connected on LinkedIn.
