"South Florida is a key market for Obee's," Peter Brown, president of the chain, tells GSR. He acknowledges that Obee's,which offers soups, salads and subs, faces stiffcompetition in South Florida, where its maincompetitor Subway has more than 35 stores in Miamialone. However, he feels confident that Obee's willestablish itself as a strong brand, pointing out thatObee's, is well known on the state's West Coast sinceit was started in Port Charlotte, FL.

Bernette Enterprises has plans to open 65 restaurantsin the region over the next couple of years, Brownsays. There are currently 81 Obee's locations openwith more than 70 stores in development. The companyhas commitments to open an additional 1,300 storesover the next 10 years.

Much of Obee's expansion plans are supported by itsrecent initial public offering --OBFC in the PinkSheets – and its 2002 decision to franchise. Obee'sexpansion is focused on five distinct areas: Florida, California, Chicagoland, the Washington, DC, metro area and the group of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.