VOORHEES, NJThe Greene Turtle is partnering with a Camden County investor group that has extensive quick-service and petroleum distribution/retail experience to develop 11 units of the popular casual dining restaurant/sports bar chain. The chain is seeking locations in Camden, Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer Counties for its first expansion into the Garden State.

The franchisees, operating from Voorhees, Camden County, NJ, as Imperial Restaurant Group LLC, consist of individuals with diverse business experiences and core competencies. The group will be led by Raj Rana, a former multi-unit QSR restaurant owner, and Balrup Hundal, Surinder Hundal and Parminder Singh, who operate a petroleum distribution business and more than 30 gas and convenience store locations. Imperial will focus its development efforts on the southern half of New Jersey.

The multi-unit development agreement complements a 10-unit agreement for New York's Long Island signed in 2012 and represents another strategic step toward expansion throughout the Northeast.

“We are thrilled to have secured a deal to bring The Greene Turtle to southern New Jersey, and equally excited about the franchise partners through whom we are doing it,” says Tom Finn, vice president of franchise business for The Greene Turtle. “We plan to establish a strong presence throughout the Garden State, giving fans who know us from their trips south a Turtle of their own, while introducing our concept to a whole new population of consumers.”

Finn says New Jersey is ideal for development of The Greene Turtle. The company typically seeks out markets where it can successfully develop and operate multiple locations, based on existing competition, available real estate, proximity to professional sports teams as well as university and youth sports programs, and density of the young family demographic to which The Greene Turtle largely caters.

“This is an incredible opportunity for us and for our New Jersey neighbors,” says Raj Rana. “My partners and I did a lot of research in looking for the perfect brand to develop here, and we are confident we've found a winner in The Greene Turtle. The Greene Turtle is more than your average sports bar and grille. It's a community hangout where people can have great food, choose between numerous craft and commercial brews and enjoy a lively atmosphere. We strongly believe in a community philosophy. Whether to sponsor a local team, boost a community project or host a charitable program, we are eager to contribute. We are very excited about this opportunity and expect New Jersey communities will fully embrace The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille.”

The Greene Turtle has 37 locations open in New York, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, DC. There are now 20 additional units contracted for New York and New Jersey. The chain is seeking experienced multi-unit investors to develop remaining markets in northern New Jersey and New York City, as well as markets in New England, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.

The Greene Turtle enjoys strong brand awareness generated by the company's involvement in community sports programs and by its presence in high-traffic locations such as Ocean City, MD, Rehoboth Beach, DE, Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport, and Washington, D.C.'s Verizon Center. In addition, its broad demographic appeal attracts seniors, baby boomers, couples, young families and groups of all ages. The concept's flexible format helps franchisees to secure the best available real estate and often shortens the time to open a restaurant.

Combining comfort food, a casual atmosphere and a sports bar theme marked by big screen TVs broadcasting local and national events, “The Turtle” has become a popular year-round destination where families, friends and fans of all ages feel at home. The Greene Turtle's franchise offering has been on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 list of top opportunities since 2010.

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Steve Lubetkin

Steve Lubetkin is the New Jersey and Philadelphia editor for GlobeSt.com. He is currently filling in covering Chicago and Midwest markets until a new permanent editor is named. He previously filled in covering Atlanta. Steve’s journalism background includes print and broadcast reporting for NJ news organizations. His audio and video work for GlobeSt.com has been honored by the Garden State Journalists Association, and he has also been recognized for video by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has produced audio podcasts on CRE topics for the NAR Commercial Division and the CCIM Institute. Steve has also served (from August 2017 to March 2018) as national broadcast news correspondent for CEOReport.com, a news website focused on practical advice for senior executives in small- and medium-sized companies. Steve also reports on-camera and covers conferences for NJSpotlight.com, a public policy news coverage website focused on New Jersey government and industry; and for clients of StateBroadcastNews.com, a division of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC. Steve has been the computer columnist for the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey, since 1996. Steve is co-author, with Toronto-based podcasting pioneer Donna Papacosta, of the book, The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional. You can email Steve at [email protected].