Gregg Hansen, Huddle House franchise owner, stands behind the counter for a portrait at the Huddle House restaurant on Hixson Pike in Hixson on Monday.Fast FactsHuddle House was founded in 1964 by John Sparks.He named the restaurant after the football huddle and wanted it to be a place where people gathered after Friday night games.The listed franchising fee is $25,000.Source: Huddle House
The Huddle House franchise has been growing far beyond the South in recent years, but officials with the restaurant company, which offers breakfast food 24 hours a day, said it wants to reclaim its traditional markets and plans a major expansion in the Chattanooga area.
Mark Whittle, chief development officer for Huddle House, based near Atlanta, said he sees opportunities for five additional stores on the fringes of Chattanooga, according to market research.
“Tennessee is a heritage market. … We just think that, frankly, it’s been overlooked for a while,” Whittle said. “We want to make a concerted effort to come back, build new or remodel stores in our core states.”
New designs for Huddle House stores are helping edge out competition from Waffle House, IHOP, Denny’s and mom and pops, he said. Sales at new stores are 35 to 40 percent better than existing models, he said.