A 16-year Famous Brands International franchisee is doubling down on the Southeast, signing an expanded area development agreement that adds Georgia to an existing two-state territory and commits to 15 new TCBY and Mrs. Fields locations across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Samuel Batt of Batt Enterprises currently operates 15 TCBY and two Mrs. Fields units and is tracking what the company describes as his strongest sales year since entering the system in 2010, with year-to-date comp sales running double digits above the prior-year period. The expanded area development agreement formalizes Georgia as new territory while deepening commitment to suburban and college-adjacent corridors the operator has already identified in the Carolinas — including the Research Triangle markets of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.
Development Strategy
Batt's build-out playbook targets suburban growth corridors and neighborhoods near university campuses, leaning on experienced local operators to underwrite long-term unit economics. The Greater Charlotte market serves as his operational anchor, and he has been an active supporter of other franchisees in the region — providing guidance and development counsel beyond his own portfolio. He piloted TCBY's first self-serve concept in Charlotte, an initiative the brand subsequently used to inform a broader systemwide rollout, a track record that signals meaningful influence on format strategy at the brand level.
For Famous Brands International, which counts more than 275 franchised locations across the U.S. and international markets including Canada, Australia, and the Middle East, the deal represents an asset-light avenue to accelerate domestic unit growth in a region where both dessert brands hold legacy awareness. TCBY's 125-plus franchised locations worldwide skew heavily toward the self-serve frozen yogurt format; Mrs. Fields, present in 24 states and six countries, draws traffic on freshly baked cookies, cookie cakes, and brownies. Co-locating the two concepts within a single franchisee's development pipeline lowers the operational lift for area developers juggling both flags.
Segment Context
The frozen-yogurt segment has navigated a prolonged rationalization since its mid-2010s peak, when self-serve concepts proliferated before a wave of closures reshaped the competitive landscape. TCBY's nutritional positioning — more than 50 soft-serve flavors spanning low-fat, fat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and no-sugar-added options — aligns with sustained consumer demand for permissible indulgence, a daypart trend that has also benefited better-for-you snack chains in the QSR and fast-casual tiers. Double-digit same-store sales growth for Batt's portfolio, if it holds through year-end, would represent a meaningful outperformance against a broader dessert-segment backdrop where traffic gains remain hard-won.
Franchise recruitment is running in parallel with Batt's expansion. Famous Brands is actively seeking multi-unit operators in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; and Atlanta, Ga. — markets that sit squarely within or adjacent to Batt's new three-state territory. The dual-brand pitch to prospective franchisees mirrors a strategy seen across multi-concept franchise development, where operators with proven unit-level execution can accelerate growth by layering a second brand onto existing infrastructure. For more on dessert-segment franchise trends, see our recent coverage of snack and dessert chain expansion.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
