Captain D's, the nation's leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced the opening of its newest franchised location in Hartwell, Georgia. Marking the brand's 100^th restaurant in the state, this new location signifies Captain D's explosive growth in the region, with an additional restaurant in Acworth currently in development. Located at 249 Frontage Road, the Hartwell restaurant will celebrate its milestone grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony today at 10 a.m.

The Hartwell restaurant is owned by long-time Captain D's franchisees Jim and Valerie McClure of VJM Seafood Inc., who joined the company in 2004 after operating their family farm for more than two decades, and have since become leading multi-unit operators. The pair opened their first Captain D's in their hometown of Dahlonega, Georgia, and over the past decade have continued to expand throughout Northeast Georgia and North Carolina, with the new Hartwell location marking their seventh Captain D's franchise.

"Having joined Captain D's more than 10 years ago, we've witnessed firsthand the company's unwavering commitment to investing in its people, product and processes, which has helped transform the brand into a leading fast casual concept," said Jim McClure. "Our continued expansion within our territory is a true testament to the confidence we have in the brand, and we're proud to be a part of the company's explosive growth in the Southeast. We look forward to welcoming the Hartwell community to our new restaurant and introducing them to the one-of-a-kind Captain D's experience."

Captain D's ongoing franchise development in the Southeast region is fueled by the outstanding success the brand experienced in 2016, achieving its sixth consecutive year of same store sales increases and fourth successive year of record high system-wide average unit volume. This compounding success has propelled Captain D's franchise expansion, with agreements signed this year to open an additional 25 new restaurants in states across the country including Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia.

Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D's credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand's ongoing strong performance. To date, nearly 70 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand's new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year. With these efforts, Captain D's has remained true to what it does best — serving high-quality seafood with warm hospitality at an affordable price in a welcoming atmosphere.