*Luby’s, Inc., the parent company that operates Luby’s, Fuddruckers, Koo Koo Roo, and Cheeseburger in Paradise, in June announced an agreement to sell its Fuddruckers franchise business operations to Black Titan Franchise Systems LLC, owned by Nicholas Perkins in a deal valued at $18.5 million.
Months earlier, Perkins became one of the largest Fuddruckers franchisees when Luby’s sold him 13 of the company-owned restaurants. Now, he owns all 92, making him the first African American to own a national burger franchise system.
“I feel very honored. I feel very blessed, excited about the future. I’ve got a lot of work to do but at the same time it’s going to be very very impactful to be a part of what I consider to be a reemergence of the worlds’ greatest hamburger,” Perkins said in an interview with KPRC 2.
“I look very much forward to be able to empower others to be entrepreneurs. If me being the first African American in this position means that I can leverage the asset that I have to be able to improve the lives of other people, it’s one of the most rewarding things that you can do, to help lift others up.”
For the 40-year-old North Carolina native, the purchase was personal.
“It’s really nostalgic for me. Like many people, I grew up eating Fuddruckers. It’s been my favorite hamburger that you could ever buy,” he said.
Perkins says he has a three-phase plan to reintroduce Fuddruckers, including increased marketing, building a better supply chain and creating a mobile app and customer loyalty program. He also hopes to restore the franchise to its former glory of 500 restaurants.
The company’s headquarters will remain in Houston and the purchase will be complete in September.
Below, the alum of HBCUs Fayetteville State University and Howard University discusses his historic acquisition of the Fuddruckers brand.
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