The Inside Scoop on Bobby Flay's New Franchise Brand

Images courtesy of Bobby's Burgers. 

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay has embarked on a new franchise brand called Bobby’s Burgers. This is Flay’s second attempt at running a fast-casual burger franchise but not his first go-round at being an owner-operator. 

Flay got his first opportunity to be an owner-operator in 1991 after working his way through the ranks in many different restaurants. The first restaurant Flay owned was the now-closed Mesa Grill. Flay has had a series of restaurants open and close over the years such as Bar Americain, Bobby Flay Steak and Gato. 

Bobby’s Burger Palace was not the commercial success investors were expecting. The brand was unveiled during the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference in 2017 and failed to take off. Michael McGill, now president of Bobby’s Burgers, is taking what the brand learned from Bobby’s Burger Palace and is scaling it down. Bobby’s Burger Palace was 6,000 square feet with nine different burger options and seven shake choices while Bobby’s Burgers will only be 400 square feet, and have seven signature sandwiches and five shakes. 

Bobby’s Burgers franchise company is Intelligration Capital BB. The licensing deal was created with Flay and Laurence Kretchmer, co-founder and managing partner of the brand. The brand currently has five locations, three in Las Vegas, one in Atlantic City and one in Yankee Stadium in New York. The fast-casual burger brand is set to open its sixth location in New Orleans sometime in 2023. 

Bobby’s Burgers’ target markets are New Orleans, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Toronto. The brand is seeking seasoned multi-unit franchisees who understand the restaurant industry and have an entrepreneurial spirit. Below is an outline of the investment costs needed to start a Bobby’s Burgers franchise. 

• Cash Investment: $500,000
• Net Worth: $1,000,000
• Franchise Fee: $30,000
• Total Investment: $547,950–$2,862,000
• Royalty Fee: 6%
• Advertising Fee: 3%

The brand offers three different kinds of floor models:

• Inline/End Cap: Good for traditional shopping and lifestyle centers with strong afternoon and evening traffic
• Freestanding: Good for traditional shopping and lifestyle centers Outparcels and pad sites with easy accessibility. Drive-thru options are available.
• Non-Traditional/Entertainment: Good for transportation-based venues, higher education, military bases and entertainment venues (with shared production kitchen)

The franchise offers its franchisees comprehensive training, ongoing operational support, and research and development capabilities

If you are interested in becoming a Bobby’s Burgers franchisee, you can visit the website here. The brand has upcoming decision days that are currently available for registration.