New BurgerFi Franchisees Expand in Florida and Georgia

BurgerFi announced that the brand is expanding in Florida with new locations planned for Clearwater-St. Petersburg and Stuart and the Atlanta-metro area. Currently, with over 100 restaurants, BurgerFi is continuing to expand with another 25–30 restaurants planned in 2019.

BurgerFi is one of only two national brands that recently earned an "A" in the fourth annual Chain Reaction scorecard released by six major consumer and environmental organizations for their dedication to serving beef raised without antibiotics.

"We are thrilled that BurgerFi restaurants will be in these key regions as we continue our national expansion," said Charles Guzzetta, Franchise Development Manager of BurgerFi. "They join our mission to serve the top 1% of best-tasting certified, American Black Angus beef and improve guest experience across all platforms: in-store, delivery and online."

Restaurant industry veteran Nick Quarantillo will be opening three locations in Clearwater-St. Petersburg, Florida, reflecting the Tampa metro area's continued economic development. The timing and growth potential for BurgerFi was a key driver for his entry into this category. As a South Florida restaurateur where BurgerFi has a large presence, Quarantillo has long recognized the brand's commitment to the environment, corporate citizenship and their drive to be better than other burger franchises.  

"Americans are looking for a fresh, better burger that has the same quality every time they come in," said Quarantillo. "Families especially are looking for an elevated dining room experience— from the friendliness of the team to sustainability efforts."

Longtime friends and BurgerFi aficionados Greg Gatto and Scott Hodes of The Burger Bunch LLC are opening the first BurgerFi in Martin County, Florida. Gatto and Hodes have known each other nearly a decade and chose Stuart because the coastal community has a mix of residential and high traffic areas.

"We've spoken to residents who are known to drive nearly 45 minutes to go to the nearest BurgerFi," said Hodes. "We believe that many families share the diverse eating habits that our own have, and we love the BurgerFi concept because it's a place vegans, vegetarians and meat-lovers can all enjoy."

Dhruv Patel and his three partners in SAINI, LLC bring over a decade of experience in the operation of multiple gas stations, convenience stores, hotels and quick serve restaurants. The group explored many opportunities with the goal of diversifying their business, and discovered BurgerFi. They chose Atlanta because it is both a major city and a new hot spot for millennials who appreciate better burgers.

"I came upon BurgerFi next door to a business meeting I had in Tallahassee, and told my partners how much I loved the food," says Patel. "We started speaking to the BurgerFi team who showed us operations in other locations, and my partners also fell in love with the product – as has my entire family."