McAlister's Deli Launches One of Its Largest Development Deals Yet with ‘Franchise King’ Guillermo Perales

Guillermo Perales, CEO and founder of Sun Holdings, Inc. has been dubbed the “franchise king” by the Dallas Morning News for his massive franchise empire, which is comprised of a whopping 1,000 stores. Perales got his start in franchising in his native Mexico, but relocated north of the border to Dallas in the late 1990s on a development deal with Golden Corral. Now, according to QSR Magazine, Perales has signed a 98-unit deal with McAlisters to open units in Florida, Louisiana and Texas, one of the largest development deals to date for the brand. This deal is also Perales’ first foray into the fast casual restaurant space. 

The Dallas Morning News also reported that, through Sun Holdings, Inc., Perales operates approximately 80% of the Burger King, Popeyes, Krispy Kreme, Golden Corral and Arby's restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone. QSR noted that Perales also has an impressive roster of awards and accolades, including several consecutive years on Latino Leaders Magazine’s 101 Most Influential Latinos.

“This particular development deal marks a very significant milestone for our brand, as it is one of the largest number of franchises that we have sold in a single transaction in our company history,” said Joe Guith, president of McAlister’s Deli, to QSR Magazine. “We are thrilled to welcome Guillermo and his team to the McAlister’s Deli family and know that his business acumen and knowledge of the foodservice industry will be invaluable to our brand,” said Joe Guith, president of McAlister’s Deli.”

Perales cited McAlister’s strong unit-level economics and outperforming of competing brands as reasoning behind this massive deal. While this deal is huge for the brand, McAlister’s is still targeting new markets throughout the U.S. as part of its aggressive expansion plan. 

Read the full story in QSR here.