News

Captain D's adds prolific franchisee to roster

November 7, 2014

Captain D's has landed its fifth multiunit franchisee of the year – Tony Lutfi, CEO of Marlu Investment Group.

Lutfi has agreed to purchase five Captain D's company-owned restaurants in the Kansas City, Missouri, market, making the seafood chain the latest brand in his portfolio that includes 165 restaurant and retail locations.

According to a news release, Sacramento, California-based Marlu operates units of Jack in the Box, Sizzler, Little Caesars, Arby's, Church's Chicken and Sears.

Lutfi joins newly signed Captain D's franchisees like Michael Knobelock, an operator of several dozen Church's and Little Caesars locations, as well as longtime Dairy Queen operators Mike Munshi, Zaheara Momin and Asif Jariwalla.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tony and his team to Captain D's, and we look forward to him supercharging our growth in such critical markets like Kansas City," CEO Phil Greifeld said in the release. "This brand has worked tirelessly the past several years to be the No. 1 choice for top-quality franchise operators looking to expand their territories and diversify their portfolios. Clearly, sophisticated investors like Tony have taken notice."

Lutfi plans to reimage the five acquired stores within the next six to eight months with remodeled dining rooms, new signage and investments in all deferred maintenance.

"The turnaround that Phil and his team at Captain D's have put together the past few years has been incredible," Lutfi said. "I was drawn to the new building designs and the best-in-class seafood — which we're very excited to add to our portfolio — but what really assured me that Captain D's was right for my company was meeting the leadership team and knowing that their corporate vision aligns with Marlu's."