Charleys Philly Steaks

About Charleys Philly Steaks

Charleys Philly Steaks foFranchises Under and CEO Charley Shin tasted his first Philly Cheesesteak back in 1985 while attending The Ohio State University. As a young Franchises Undergrad with an appetite for success, Shin knew he wanted to share this sandwich experience with others in a big way. After experimenting with countless ingredients and perfecting his recipe, Shin turned his entrepreneurial dreams into reality in 1986 when he opened his first restaurant called Charley’s Steakery, a 450-square foot space near The Ohio State University campus. With the support of his mother, Charley’s Steakery became an instant hit with college students who craved the made-fresh Philly Cheesesteaks, loaded Gourmet Fries and all-natural Lemonades.

As the customers (and rave reviews) rolled in, Shin worked on a growth plan. In 1991, Charleys started franchising with like-minded partners to share the Philly Cheesesteak love. In 2002, Charley’s Steakery became Charley’s Grilled Subs, putting emphasis on our “grilled-fresh-in-front-of-you” transparency. In 2012, as a nod to its core menu offering, all domestic locations became branded as Charleys Philly Steaks.

No matter the name, we’ve stayed committed to quality over the past 30 years. The #1 Cheesesteak in the World is made with only premium ingredients, like 100% USDA choice steak*, 100% all-white meat chicken, all-natural cheeses, and hand-cut vegetables—always grilled-fresh-to-order.

With nearly 600 locations in 46 states and in 17 countries, Charleys can be found in retail shopping centers, airports, strip centers, and Army & Air Force bases worldwide.

Why Franchise?

As a franchise opportunity, Charleys Philly Steaks can’t be beaten. With a chic, new restaurant design, the addition of wings to our menu, streamlined operations, and exceptional training, Charleys Philly Steaks is ready for national expansion. Philly cheesesteaks are one of the most popular comfort food sandwiches people seek out – when they do crave a cheesesteak, nothing else will do! We pride ourselves on making authentic cheesesteak sandwiches and a variety of popular sides such as our loaded fries that customers LOVE!

“Our goal is to reach 3,000 stores in the coming years,” says Charley Shin, CEO, and founder of Charleys Philly Steaks. “We’ve been growing at about 60 stores a year for the past several years, and about 70% of our growth comes from our existing franchisees reinvesting in the brand – which is extremely positive. We exist to help our franchisees become successful in business, and we want to help as many entrepreneurs as we can. This brand has never been more successful than it is today, and we’ve never been more excited about the future.”

If you want to own a QSR business that specializes in a hard-to-get and much-loved comfort food and you want a business that can handle drive-through, third party delivery, and contactless curbside pickup, Charley’s is a smart investment to make!

We Deliver a Philly Cheesesteak Experience That Can’t Be Beat

Charleys Philly Steaks offers something completely unique in the QSR industry. We offer delicious, made-to-order food that is affordable without sacrificing quality. This is why, after more than 30 years in business, Charleys has grown to over 630 locations around the world.

And we’re still growing. In fact, while cheesesteaks and wings are two of the most popular food items, they are still vastly underrepresented in a landscape that is dominated by chicken, burgers, pizza and Mexican food. This means that there is ample opportunity for entrepreneurs to own a business that immediately stands out in their communities.

Our 30+ years of experience in franchising means that we have significant experience in helping our franchise owners select the perfect location. This is why we have developed several restaurant models to offer our franchise owners flexibility and versatility. Our business model can work in freestanding units with drive-thrus, end caps, in-line locations in strip malls, food courts in malls and airports, as well as non-traditional locations such as travel plazas, office complexes and co-branding opportunities in convenience and gas station locations. Our proven site selection process is the key ingredient in why we’re the largest cheesesteak franchise in the world.

We’ve Added Wings & Third-Party Delivery to Drive Sales

To make Charleys Philly Steaks more of a destination, we’ve recently added wings to our menu. By keeping our menu limited to wings, cheesesteaks and fries, our business model is simple to operate and that makes us an easy brand for customers to connect with for lunch and dinner.

“Adding wings to our menu has been a key driver in same-store sales,” Shin says. “We want to broaden our appeal and increase customer frequency. It’s made us a much stronger brand as a result.”

Another key driver in same-store sales growth is adding third-party delivery to our restaurants. According to MediaPost, more than 44 million people are expected to use third-party delivery services in 2020, and that number is expected to grow to 53 million people by 2023. This new trend is here to stay, and Charleys Philly Steaks wants our franchise owners in on the action.

You Don’t Need to Know to How to Make a Cheesesteak to Franchise With Us

In fact, the majority of our franchise owners came to us with zero experience in the restaurant industry before joining our franchise family. When you franchise with Charleys Philly Steaks, you will have the full support of the world’s largest cheesesteak franchise behind you, and we’ve developed a comprehensive training and support platform designed to help you master our business model from the moment you sign your franchise agreement.

Here is what we will help you with:

-Real estate and site selection
-Initial training
-Ongoing support, including performance coaching
-Marketing support
-Operational support
-Securing low food costs
-Ongoing business development
-And much, much more!