A healthy, fast-casual concept helmed by former MLB pitcher and three-time World Series Champion Todd Stottlemyre is making its way to our fair state. Just today, Koibito Poke, an Arizona-based chain, has announced a store sales agreement with True Capital Partners LLC to grow the brand’s footprint by at least 300 stores. Georgia is one of the first eight states to score.
Koibito Poke, which currently operates four Phoenix-area shops, was founded in 2018 by Stottlemyre. The brand takes its name from the Japanese word for love, and the idea is to show your body some love by enjoying “fresh, clean whole foods” that happen to taste great too.
The Koibito experience is customizable, and patrons can build their own bowls or sample from the brand’s “signature” menu. New to poke? Try “The First Timer Bowl” of Hawaiian Tuna, cucumber, edamame, green onion, pineapple, and crab mix tossed in a house sauce and topped with sesame seeds. The “Tuna Trio Bowl” brings a little more punch with a combination of spicy tuna, Hawaiian tuna, and regular tuna tossed with a sweet chili lime sauce and adorned with the typical accoutrements.
Naturally a fan of the sports metaphor, Stottlemyre said in a press release of the sales agreement, “winning in any endeavor is difficult. Who you pick as your teammates will always determine your level of success. In this case, I truly believe this exciting new initiative will be an integral step in building our all-star team. After spending a year looking for the right development partner, we are very pleased to engage with a group with such a proven track record for success.”
Adam Daniel, spokesperson for True Capital Partners, added, “we have been searching for a restaurant concept which could be a real success story and we are convinced that Koibito Poke was the absolute best positioned brand to dominate the national space going forward. Our team had been searching for a dining concept that has dealt with the three huge barriers that are devasting the restaurant industry today: Labor shortages, food cost inflation and rent [cost of location]. Koibito provided the perfect solution to all those barriers of entry and so we immediately committed our resources into development and are looking forward to massive success with Todd and his team. We’re very confident that we will attract experienced and successful franchise developers from around the country to be part of this new and exciting expansion.”
Joining Georgia as some of the first new states to welcome the brand are North Carolina, Texas, Florida, California, and Idaho. While exact locations and opening dates have not been released, the first 120 stores should open over the next 24-30 months.
Find Koibito Poke online to learn more.
