Lookout Tin Drum fans: Founder Steven Chan is planning to share a homegrown favorite restaurant with the rest of the world.
After years of prodding, Chan is franchising the Pan Asian fast casual concept he started on Georgia Tech’s campus in 2003. It’s a big step because he’s operated the business on very little debt, which he’s achieved by slowing adding locations as his budget has allowed.
But Chan, like dozens of other local metro restaurateurs, has caught expansion fever. Several owners — including Grecian Gyro, Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint, J.R. Crickets and Marlow’s Tavern — are either widening their base here with new locations or stretching out of state, according to industry experts. Read on.