The Mississippi Press:
Owners of The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint in Ocean Springs announced this week that they will open five new franchise locations in three states over the next year, including two within the next three months.
Shed restaurants in Mobile and Lafayette, La., will open in October and November, respectively, with locations in Perdido Key, Ala., and Destin and Panama City, Fla., coming by fall 2010.
The first Shed franchise, situated on Miss. 53 in Gulfport, began welcoming patrons in June 2008.
“We have been working toward franchising into these areas, and talking to prospective franchisees, for two or three years now,” said Brooke Lewis, who co-owns The Shed with her brother, Brad Orrison.
The two opened the original location on Miss. 57 in 2001 and have enjoyed steady success, earning a profit in 32 consecutive quarters and increasing sales by an average of 20 percent each year, she said.
The Ocean Springs location sells as much as 2,500 pounds of meat per day, six days a week, she said.
