Huddle up, Pittsburgh.
Huddle House announced today that it’s spreading its “Any Meal, Any Time” mantra into Pennsylvania, revealing plans to open a new location in Pittsburgh.
The iconic neighborhood diner has much in store for Pittsburgh, a community clamoring for a warm hometown hub where every conversation, sip of coffee and bite of home-cooked meals are savored.
Known for its round-the-clock breakfast, Southern hospitality and big portions at fair prices, Huddle House has plans in place to open an additional 100 restaurants over the next few years, including Pittsburgh locations. Showing strong growth potential, the brand is expanding its warm, friendly atmosphere and charm into key markets throughout Texas and North Carolina, and into attractive DMAs such as Pittsburgh, Nashville and Cincinnati. The growth represents a 25 percent increase in unit count.
“What we’ve done extremely well is maintain our neighborhood, hometown vibe while also pushing the brand forward with modern design, menu innovations and operational advancements,” said Michael Abt, CEO of Huddle House. “Pittsburgh is a natural next step for Huddle House. The brand is sailing on a new plane – advancing with our talented group of existing franchise partners and a new collection of owners that value how we’re evolving and see the benefits of being part of it.”
New restaurants are in place to open in Pittsburgh with an additional in development. Since implementing a new design at nearly half of all Huddle House restaurants, the brand has achieved a 29 percent increase in average unit volume (AUV) at existing locations that have remodeled and new stores opening with the redesigned model, compared to sales at non-remodeled restaurants.
In fact, Huddle House has such confidence in its business that it’s reinvesting in itself. The brand recently acquired 15 locations from one of Huddle House’s largest multi-unit franchisees and is now operating them as corporate locations, doubling the size of the corporate portfolio and allowing the brand to test and fine-tune new operational efficiencies, automation programs, menu items and LTOs before introducing them to the franchise system.
To this end, Huddle House also recently unveiled a number of initiatives to further increase sales at its restaurants, including optimizing the kitchen design for greater operational efficiency in the kitchen’s expediting and service areas. Plus, Huddle House is also rolling out technology improvements to the franchise partners, such as the brand’s first fully automated back-office tool that will handle inventory and labor management, a new business intelligence tool and a profit and loss reporting platform.
As Huddle House expands, the brand is awarding franchise opportunities with growth incentives up to $85,000 to qualified individuals who share the company’s vision, who will follow the proven business model and who are driven to succeed. Tailored to owners and operators who are looking to give back to their community or diversifying entrepreneurs searching to branch out into the restaurant industry, the franchise model provides structure and scalability without requiring previous restaurant experience.
For more information on the Huddle House franchise opportunity, visit huddlehousefranchising.com or call 800-640-7125.
About Huddle House
Committed to serving “Any Meal, Any Time,” Huddle House restaurants have become icons in the communities they serve throughout the country. The core values on which the brand was founded – serving freshly prepared, quality home-style food in a warm, friendly environment that brings the community together – are as true today as they were when it was founded 52 years ago. There are currently 413 Huddle House restaurants across the United States open and in development.
To learn more about Huddle House franchise opportunities, visit huddlehousefranchising.com and for more information about the brand, visit the company website at huddlehouse.com.
