A national restaurant franchise is staking out the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas to open as many as 20 stores where it can sell its chicken wings, fries, and bourbon baked beans.
Rahim Kurji and Bidjaan Kassam have acquired the franchise rights to open
Wingstop stores in the area. They expect to open between six and eight stores in Baltimore this year. With each store costing between $400,000 and $550,000 to build, the franchisees could spend as much as $4.4 million to open new stores this year. The business owners are financing the operation through an SBA loan and their own cash.
The pair are looking for strip mall spaces that are between 1,400 and 1,800 square feet, Kurji says. Population-dense locales near universities and hospitals would be ideal, he says. Hungry students and busy hospital workers could keep the stores busy at night and not just during the day.
Since they haven't finalized any lease deals, the entrepreneurs couldn't identify any specific locations where they will open. Kassam says they will create a Facebook page asking locals where they would like to see a Wingstop.
The wings are made fresh to order and come in nine flavors, including teriyaki, garlic parmesan, lemon pepper, Cajun, and atomic. Kassam says that these sauces and even the blue cheese dressing you dip your celery in will be made in house.
Based in Richardson, Texas, the national franchise has its biggest penetration in California and Texas.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Rahim Kurji and Bidjaan Kassam