King’s BierHaus, the award-winning ‘hybrid-casual’ German eatery and biergarten, has finalized its first franchise deal, which will add three more King’s BierHaus locations to the greater Houston area. The first location is planned to open in League City at 828 W. FM 646 in October 2018, and a second location is in the process of being secured in Katy. Local franchisee Chung Hui, whose background is in retail development, was attracted to the King’s BierHaus brand for its unique positioning in the market, local and national recognition, sales to investment ratio, and unit volumes, among corporate support and ease of operations.
“Being from the Houston area, I had been following King’s Bierhaus for the last few years and watched as they gained more and more notoriety on a local and national level,” says Hui. “Of course, I jumped on board when I heard they were beginning to franchise, as I saw huge potential in the brand’s unique hybrid casual model and restaurant atmosphere. It’s exciting to be getting involved with the company in its early stages and grow alongside them as they continue to expand King’s Bierhaus across Texas and the U.S.”
King’s BierHaus is the modern sister concept to the #1 German Restaurant in America, King’s Biergarten, founded by Austrian-born father and son duo Hans and Philipp Sitter in 2011. It began as a car wash serving bratwurst and beer and, over the years, developed into an iconic stop for local Houstonians and tourists alike. The eatery presents Austrian, German, and American cuisine in a modern fusion approach, with signature dishes such as The Famous Schnitzel Sandwich, Hans’ Half Chicken, Hungarian Gypsy Stew, and King’s Sausage Sampler, which was named one of the “100 Best Dishes in Houston” by The Houston Press.
“We conceived and developed King’s BierHaus from the start with a franchise model in mind, so it’s very exciting for us to have secured our first franchisee within months of finalizing our FDD,” says King’s BierHaus co-founder and CEO, Philipp Sitter. “From the consumer side, we knew there was a hole in the market for concepts that offered a unique experience for guests, and from a business and franchising standpoint, we focused heavily on our economics so we could make King’s BierHaus easily scalable, with high sales profits and low cost of goods.”
The bierhaus has developed an innovative ‘hybrid casual’ model, which combines the best elements of full-service and fast casual dining for a truly unique style of restaurant. Guests follow a five-step ordering process that begins at the counter and transitions into full-service once seated. This service model improves the customer experience by allowing them to order more with ease, and proves beneficial for the business by resulting in a higher per person check average, higher alcohol sales, and increased efficiency and back-of-house operations. King’s Bierhaus’ existing location, which implements the hybrid casual framework, reported a monthly average of $507,102 gross sales in the second half of 2017.
Additionally, King’s Bierhaus is attractive for potential franchisees looking to convert tired casual dining establishments into a younger, more innovative concept. The bierhaus plans to target conversions of these second generation eateries to breathe new life into their profitability per square footage and offer a totally new type of restaurant experience for those in the community.
King’s BierHaus is partnered with Fransmart, the franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Qdoba Mexican Grill, as their exclusive franchise development partner. The ‘hybrid casual’ concept is currently looking for experienced multi-unit foodservice operators to develop franchise territories in major markets across the United States.
