Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is bringing his latest restaurant offering, Bobby's Burgers by Bobby Flay, to a prime location in SouthPark. But that's just the start of the company's plans for the Queen City. Bobby's Burgers will be headquartered here, with plans for as many as eight locations in the Charlotte market.
The 3,000-square-foot flagship restaurant will be at The Towers at SouthPark, a two-building office complex owned by Crestlight Capital. The dining room will have roughly 40 seats, with private events space and a patio as well. It is targeting an opening in mid-May to early June.
"There was never a question about Charlotte because it's one of the fastest-growing markets in the country. It's a vibrant city. It has a diverse and unrivaled food scene," says Michael McGill, president of Bobby's Burgers. "People have a great appreciation here for a quality experience and quality product, and we feel that was a natural fit here."
Charlotte-based Intelligration Capital, led by McGill, has been awarded the global franchising rights. The Bobby's Burgers corporate team will own and run the SouthPark restaurant.
The brand has partnered with key investors including long-time Charlotte restaurateur Frank Scibelli. His FS Food Group operates Mama Ricotta's, Little Mama's, Midwood Smokehouse and Pacos' Tacos and Tequila.
McGill says the company will rely on Scibelli's experience. "He knows Charlotte. He knows the market. To have someone like him involved with our group, we feel is a win-win for everybody."
Bobby's Burgers will deliver a best-in-class brand and experience, McGill says. Think bold flavors and high-quality food. Bobby's signature burger is the Crunch Burger, a 6-ounce, fresh, certified Angus beef patty — cooked medium or well-done — topped with American cheese, Bobby sauce and potato chips. Flay trademarked the term "Crunchified" — the option to add chips between the bun and the burger.
"What makes the perfect burger is the combination of taste and texture, " McGill says. "We feel we have a product that people are really going to have an affinity for."
The menu is built around seven burgers, all made to order and based on Flay's recipes. Diners can substitute grilled chicken or a veggie burger, made with Flay's winning recipe from the Food Network's "Beat Bobby Flay." There's also hand-battered onion rings, sweet potato fries and a fried chicken sandwich. Milkshakes are "spoonbending" and feature options such as Flay's favorite, pistachio.
Breakfast will also be offered with options such as Bobby's breakfast burrito, a breakfast burger with a fried egg on top, yogurt parfaits and oatmeal.
The flagship restaurant will serve as the Innovation Center for research and development, allowing the brand to stay on the cutting edge of the restaurant scene. The concept is chef-driven and the space provides Flay a place to innovate.
"Bobby is really the R&D department for our brand. He has the culinary vision for what we're doing," McGIll says. "So, it all starts with that."
The restaurant also provides a way to fine tune franchise operations, including gauging customer response to new products. "So, before we roll a program out to our franchisees we will have done the research here and gotten true feedback in a true restaurant setting," McGill says.
He says the brand will be smart in its growth efforts. That means signing multi-unit operators that have experience and can help grow the brand.
"We don't want to be the biggest out there. We truly want to be the best at what we do in terms of being that high quality, fast casual, elevated brand at the burger experience people are looking for," McGill says.
There are three prototypes for the restaurant. Nontraditional locations can range from 400 to 1,200 square feet. In-line and end-cap sites can be between 1,800 and 2,000 square feet. Then there's a standalone model with a drive-thru that will come in around 2,400 square feet.
McGill says when people come in, they'll experience a bright, modern environment. The color scheme will incorporate navy blue and cream, with complementary cranberry aspects. It will showcase Flay's love of burgers. Guests will see a food-forward approach in the design, which features an open kitchen.
Technology will play a role in operations. There will be kiosks for ordering, as well as kitchen tech that will improve operational efficiencies, such as fryers that clean themselves, McGill says.
Bobby's Burgers expects to open six or seven locations this year. The longer-term goal over the next five to seven years is to open 500 locations.
McGill has secured multi-unit agreements in Denver, Ilinois and the Raleigh-Durham market. Efforts will continue to build the development pipeline.
The initial franchise fee is $30,000. There's an additional charge for multiple locations. Franchise disclosure documents state the range to open a restaurant is between $400,000 and $2 million, depending on location, construction costs and other factors.
Bobby's Burgers got its start in 2021, opening in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It has since expanded to five Caeser's locations and one nontraditional store in Yankee Stadium. It also has a location in the Phoenix Sky Airport and one coming soon to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
A native of New York City, Flay gained a culinary education and began building a restaurant empire from there before branching out to TV shows and cookbooks. He's best known these days for his appearances on Food Network, including his namesake show, "Beat Bobby Flay."
The Towers at SouthParkis a two-building office complexat 6000 and 6100 Fairview Road. The property, built in 1998 and currently owned by Crestlight Capital, is in the midst ofa $20 million modernizationof its amenities, lobbies and shared spaces.In November, Detroit-basedCrestlight had the site rezonedto a mixed-use development designation to allow for the addition of more retail space as well as multifamily units and medical offices or a hotel.
Adam Williams with Legacy Real Estate Advisors represented the landlord on the lease transaction for Bobby's Burgers, and John Hadley with The Nichols Co. served as the tenant representative.
