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As the name of its most popular sandwich, the Conquistador, suggests, Zunzi’s has been conquering the taste buds of locals and tourists for almost a decade.
Now, in the mode of those 17th century Spanish soldiers, the locally loved lunch spot hopes to expand its brand by bringing on board investment firm Z3 Management.
The deal, finalized at the end of December for an undisclosed sum, will help Zunzi’s bring its eclectic South African menu far beyond Savannah, said founder Johnny DeBeer.
“We want to re-create what we have,” said DeBeer, who runs Zunzi’s and its second location, Z2, with his wife Gabrielle DeBeer.
He said that means retaining its name, its menu and its signature sass, while overseeing the development of new locations.
DeBeer said he’d been approached by investors for years but was adamant about retaining control over the concept. Z3 Management is operated by partners Chris Smith and John Hooff, both of whom have experience in the restaurant industry.
“It was signed over to them with knowledge that Gabby and I are very much involved,” he said. “We want to do more of the same thing.”
DeBeer said he was first approached by Smith five years ago, but felt now was the right time to accelerate their growth. Smith owns several Five Guys locations in the Savannah area and is preparing to open his seventh in Pooler this spring.
“It wasn’t the money, it was gaining (Smith’s) knowledge of expanding,” said DeBeer.
Starting this year, he said, they plan to open a Zunzi’s on southside near Armstrong State University, then grow regionally to places like Charleston, Athens and Atlanta, and eventually nationwide.
“Once you franchise, you lose a lot of the control as far as the quality goes, so we’re not franchising,” he said. “These guys do have the money so that they all stay under one umbrella.”
Besides retaining the name and menu, DeBeer said, he will be heavily involved in all aspects of the new locations, including interior design. He said right now he and Smith are in the planning phase.
“We’re figuring out how we can mainstream processes from one location to the other to make them really easy to operate,” he said. “We want to know what makes Zunzi’s easier to run so people don’t have to stand in long lines for their food.”
He said they want to add electronic equipment to make checkouts quicker as well as add more menu items.
“We will be bringing some more South African food ideas, so I’m very excited about that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gabby DeBeer, who created many of the restaurant’s signature dishes and sauces, will continue running their second location on Bay Street, which opened in June 2013, a year after Travel Channel host Adam Richman anointed Zunzi’s Conquistador one of the top two sandwiches in America.
DeBeer said he’s committed to working 24/7 to ensure Zunzi’s retains its unique qualities.
“I love creating, so to be able to create more will be such a joy for me,” said DeBeer.