Houston — Newk’s Eatery, a fast-casual restaurant, has reached a development agreement with New Orleans-based Southeast Restaurant Group (SRG), founded by Elie Khoury, to open 10 new Newk’s locations in metro Houston.
With the agreement, SRG becomes Newk’s largest franchisee. SRG is currently a franchisee of TGI Fridays and Chevys Fresh Mex, operating restaurants in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida. It also operates its own concepts, including a Mediterranean-style restaurant in the Miami area, a Creole-inspired restaurant in New Orleans and The Round House Bar & Grill, located in the Holiday Inn hotels owned by its affiliate, KFK Group. Newk’s will open nearly 30 new company-owned and franchised locations during 2015, with plans to reach 200 total units by 2018.