Greene Turtle Bringing Adding Six Sites to Central Pennsylvania

by Steve Lubetkin, Globest.com
Six new The Greene Turtle sports bar and grille locations are coming to Central Pennsylvania, as the Maryland-based restaurant chain continues an aggressive expansion drive throughout the Northeast.

As previously reported by GlobeSt.com, Greene Turtle last year named franchisees to develop sites in Eastern PA and New Jersey.

Typhoon Central PA, a new franchise group consisting of partners Leho Poldmae and Dave Trimbur, will develop the restaurants in State College, PA, home to Penn State University’s ain campus, and throughout Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York Counties.

Poldmae and Trimbur have extensive experience with The Greene Turtle and the casual dining segment. Poldmae already operates three Greene Turtle locations in Maryland and Delaware.

Trimbur is managing partner of Typhoon Management, a company that owns and manages restaurants and other organizations, and has served as director of operations for Poldmae’s locations for the past several years. He is also executive director of the Big 33 Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for academic scholarships and other charitable programs to develop and showcase excellence in students and communities. Previously, he was an area director for The Rose Group, one of the country’s largest franchisee companies, whose holdings include Applebee’s and Corner Bakery. Trimbur also was a regional manager for the Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurant chain.

“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Dave to introduce The Greene Turtle to Central Pennsylvania,” says Poldmae. “He is an operational expert with great depth of knowledge both in the restaurant business and in the markets where we plan to open. With his experience, my history with the company and The Greene Turtle’s strong family appeal, I’m confident we will do well.”

“There is a great growth opportunity with The Greene Turtle here,” Trimbur says. “The map is wide open for us to create many new, loyal customers while bringing The Greene Turtle closer to many who work or attend college here and already know The Greene Turtle from back home or from their travels along the central East Coast. We look forward to opening our first site as soon as possible.“

In mid-2015, The Greene Turtle announced a development agreement with another franchisee group that will yield 10 restaurants in markets surrounding Philadelphia. The first of those locations has now been secured and will open later this year in North Wales, PA. Combined with this new deal, The Greene Turtle now has about two-thirds of Pennsylvania covered with planned development.

“We’re very excited about this deal,” says Tom Finn, vice president of franchise development for The Greene Turtle. “The area it covers adjoins our core market and will benefit from our brand awareness. It also continues our penetration into Pennsylvania and expansion west of the coastline, and will let us tap into strong markets like State College, Hershey, Harrisburg, Lancaster and York. With this agreement in place, we are now actively seeking one more strategic franchise partner to develop Pittsburgh and the rest of western Pennsylvania.”

The Greene Turtle opened seven new restaurants in 2015, bringing the total to 44 locations stretching from southern Virginia north to New York’s Long Island and west to Morgantown, WV. As many as 10 sites will open in 2016, including the chain’s first locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Franchisees have committed to develop more than 40 additional locations in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and The Greene Turtle is now seeking strategic franchise partners to develop western Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey and New York City, and markets in New England, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.
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