Cheba Hut’s Big Plans for 2019

As the calendar turns to 2019, Cheba Hut keeps rolling. After a jam-packed 2018 that included a revamp of its bar program and the opening of numerous corporate-owned and franchised locations, 2019 is poised to bring even more growth for the marijuana-themed sandwich shop. First on the brand’s agenda this year: completing the relocation of its corporate headquarters, a milestone move that puts Cheba Hut on the fast track to the next level.

Currently based in Fort Collins, Colorado, Cheba Hut ditched the trend of defecting to Denver and other large cities around the country that other local brands have practiced for years and will instead relocate within the city’s limits. Founder Scott Jennings purchased a building in the heart of Old Town Fort Collins for Cheba Hut to occupy, a move in line with the brand’s ever-local feel. Despite the small distance traveled, the relocation is a big step forward for Cheba Hut.

“In short, we love it here,” said Seth Larsen, Cheba Hut’s chief relationship officer. “It’s a great fit with the high concentration of breweries and tech startups downtown. We're excited to remain a part of the city and even more so to upgrade.”

The place was designed specifically to represent the Cheba Hut brand and serve as a refuge and source of entertainment for business partners and current and prospective franchisees in town.

“As we grow, we want an office to be proud of,” Larsen continued. “We spent five great years at our old location, we just simply outgrew it. We’ve spent the last year growing through company stores and franchise stores, and now it’s time to grow our corporate office. This is an awesome step for us to take as a team and we think it will serve us well as we get to the next level.”

Cheba Hut doesn’t move into its new home until February, but hasn’t wasted any time building out its team to prepare for growth in 2019 and beyond; the brand recently hired Brian Loeb as its new VP of Marketing to usher the brand into its new phase of expansion.

“Brian joins us from Smashburger and is our first outside corporate hire, and we’re ecstatic about him joining our team,” Larsen said. “We’re focusing on building our bench and adding to the team to keep our business going and growing.”

Beyond the consistent opening of corporate locations throughout the brand’s strongholds of Colorado and Nevada, development through franchising is a large part of Cheba Hut’s growth strategy in 2019. The brand recently signed a handful of three-unit deals to expand into new cities across the U.S., including Riverside, California, Austin, Texas and Atlanta, its first step in expanding its presence to the East Coast.

“Atlanta couldn’t be a more perfect city for our first endeavor on the East Coast,” Larsen said. “It’s going to be great because of the market’s density and patio weather 365 days per year. The franchisees who signed a deal to open three units there are restaurant industry veterans, so it couldn’t be a better fit.”

Beyond the string of multi-unit openings on deck, Cheba Hut will continue to seek franchise partners in viable markets across the U.S., its sights set on the Midwest in particular.

“We love the Midwest,” Larsen said. “We’re particularly interested in the cities of Chicago and Milwaukee and are optimistic about the prospect of growing there in 2019.”