Adding a Mediterranean Brand to Your Restaurant Portfolio: A Guide for Multi-Unit and Multi-Brand Operators
If you already run multiple restaurants, adding a Mediterranean franchise like Taziki's can extend your portfolio into a fast-growing, health-forward category. It does that without competing head-to-head with burger, chicken, pizza or sandwich brands you already operate. Taziki's adds a balanced lunch-and-dinner business, a strong weekday catering channel and a scalable kitchen model, and our development approach is built for operators who want to grow several restaurants across a market.
Here's what experienced operators should know about how Taziki's fits next to the brands they already own.
Why Multi-Brand Operators Are Looking at Mediterranean
Mediterranean fast casual has become one of the most active categories in franchising. Several brands are expanding quickly through multi-unit agreements, and new franchisors are entering the space with pitches aimed squarely at portfolio operators. That activity reflects what guests are asking for: fresh, flavorful food that feels like a healthier choice without feeling like a compromise.
For an operator, that demand creates something valuable: a guest you may not be reaching today. Someone who visits your QSR burger brand twice a month may still be looking for something healthier that keeps them going during a weekday. A Mediterranean concept lets you serve that guest in the same trade areas, with the same leadership bench and back-office systems you've already built.
How Taziki's Complements an Existing Portfolio
Balanced dayparts, not a lunch-only business
Many fast-casual concepts lean heavily on lunch. At Taziki's, lunch and dinner sales are roughly equal. Lunch leans toward gyros and salads, and dinner leans toward our Family Feasts, which have helped make Taziki's an all-day dining destination. For an operator, balanced dayparts mean steadier labor scheduling and better use of the box you're paying rent on.
A catering channel that's mostly business-to-business
Catering is a substantial part of the Taziki's business. Most of it is business-to-business and weighted toward weekdays, which tends to complement brands whose peaks fall on evenings and weekends. Guests can order through our proprietary app and website, by phone, through third-party delivery, through our catering call center and through third-party catering platforms. Our catering rewards program helps keep those business customers coming back.
A kitchen model built to scale
Our operating philosophy is simple: gather people together, prepare food fresh and smart, and source locally and authentically. In the kitchen that means "prep fresh and prep smart, cook where it counts." We schedule labor around an entrees-per-man-hour model, and in 2025 we moved to Restaurant 365, which brings accounting, inventory, payroll, reporting and labor-scheduling support onto one platform. If you already run a multi-unit back office, those tools should feel familiar. Learn more about our operations here.
A menu with staying power
Keith and Amy Richards opened the first Taziki's in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1998, inspired by a trip to Greece. Keith estimates that about 80% of the original menu is still on it today. For an operator, that kind of consistency means less retraining, fewer menu-driven equipment changes and a brand that guests already know and trust. Read our story here or watch the full video here.
The Economics Experienced Operators Ask About
Every portfolio decision comes down to the numbers, so here are the key figures. All of them come from our 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document.
Start-up costs: $567K to $1.2M, with average total FF&E of $160K to $210K (see our Investment page).
Ongoing fees: a 4% royalty and a 0.75% general marketing fund contribution.
Franchise fee: $35,000 for the first location, with a $5,000 discount for each additional unit in a multi-unit agreement.
Item 19 performance: Our 2026 FDD reports on 96 restaurants open more than one year. Franchised restaurants averaged approximately $1.88 million in annual net sales. Restaurants in multi-unit markets averaged approximately $2.16 million. Some restaurants have achieved these results. Your results may differ, and there is no assurance you will do as well.
That last figure matters for portfolio operators. Our system data shows that restaurants in multi-unit markets have averaged higher sales than the franchised average. A development plan with shared management, local marketing and catering coverage across several units is exactly how we like to grow. For a full breakdown of costs, see our 2026 guide to what it costs to open a Taziki's.
What We Look For in a Multi-Unit Partner
Our qualifications are straightforward:
$1.5 million net worth
$500,000 in liquid assets
Significant Restaurant Experience on your team (multi-unit or franchise experience preferred)
A clear passion for Taziki's culture and a commitment to exceeding expectations
That last point isn't a formality. We grew from one neighborhood café to almost 110 restaurants, and we've done it by staying close to our people. We look for partners who believe hospitality is a competitive advantage, and experienced multi-brand groups often bring exactly that discipline. See our full qualifications.
Where We're Growing
We plan to keep expanding in the Southeast and to grow into the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Our current priority markets include Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Columbia, Columbus, Denver, Des Moines, Greenville, Houston, Jacksonville, Jackson, Kansas City, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, South Florida, Tampa and Washington, D.C.
If you already operate in one of these markets, your existing real estate relationships, leadership team and local knowledge could give you a head start. Check current availability.
What the Path Looks Like
Our process is designed to give experienced operators a thorough look at the brand before anyone commits:
Inquiry and application: an introductory conversation, discovery calls, a formal application and your review of the FDD.
Financial review: partners' financial statements, your operator's resume and your group's business plan for developing the market.
Discovery and approval: a visit to Birmingham or Nashville to meet our support teams, tour a certified training store and see our back-of-house technology.
Securing your market: due diligence and signing your agreement(s).
Training, support and grand opening: site and plan approval, vendor setup, management training, PR, marketing and grand-opening planning.
See the full process.
Is Taziki's the Right Next Brand for Your Group?
If you're looking for a concept that broadens your guest base, adds a strong catering channel, balances your dayparts and comes with nearly three decades of history behind it, we'd love to talk. We've spent a long time perfecting a menu people come back for. Now we're looking for experienced operators to help bring it to more communities.
Ready to explore whether Taziki's fits your portfolio? Request information today and our Franchise Development Team will reach out to start the conversation. You can also review our investment details and available markets first.
This information is not an offer to sell a franchise. An offer can be made only by Franchise Disclosure Document. Financial performance figures are from Item 19 of Taziki's 2026 FDD; some restaurants have achieved these results, and there is no assurance that you will do as well.
