ATLANTA — Church's Chicken has announced the transfer of 36 restaurants in Georgia, Mississippi and Arizona to franchisees as part of its re-franchising strategy.
The strategy calls for selling company-owned stores in selected markets to proven franchisees, as well as the acquisition by the company of restaurants in other strategic company store markets.
As a result of the new program, the Church's franchise development team has awarded three re-franchising packages for development in Mississippi, Arizona and Georgia to Aslam Khan of Midwest Hospitality Inc., located in Oakbrook, Ill. The package consists of the purchase of 24 company-owned stores in the Atlanta, Macon and Albany, Ga., markets.
Sacramento-based Tony Lutfi of Mar-Lu Arizona LLC purchased 10 company-owned stores in the Tucson/Nogales, Ariz., market. And Joe Mauldin of Pine Belt Foods Inc., in Laurel, Miss., purchased two company-owned stores in the Biloxi/Gulfport, Miss., market.
In some markets, the company is exploring the acquisition of restaurants from Church's Chicken franchisees, as well as acquisition of other restaurants for conversion into Church's Chicken. Church's development team has retained Atlanta-based Brookwood Advisors to assist in these acquisitions.
