Hungry Howie’s Opens Seven US Restaurants Across Five States

Hungry Howie’s has announced seven restaurant openings across five US states in the third quarter of 2026, bringing together first-time owners within its network, existing franchisees and operators with experience of other brands. The additions span South Carolina, Indiana, Michigan, Arizona and Texas, including a location inside Michigan Stadium.

Seven openings across a national network

The pizza franchise announced the openings on 19 October. They comprise restaurants in Goose Creek, South Carolina; Crawfordsville, Indiana; Dearborn Heights and Traverse City, Michigan; Tucson, Arizona; and San Antonio, Texas, alongside the stadium location in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Founded in 1973, Hungry Howie’s says it is approaching 500 stores across 19 states. Its latest openings therefore cover both its home state of Michigan and markets elsewhere in the country, rather than concentrating the quarter’s additions in a single region.

The company describes delivery and carryout as the basis of its restaurant model, with its Flavored Crust pizza range central to the offer. The announcement reports completed openings, rather than simply agreements to develop restaurants in future, although one of the incoming operator groups also has a wider development commitment.

Established operators add a new brand

Several of the openings involve franchisees who already operate businesses under other names, making cross-brand ownership a notable feature of this expansion.

In Goose Creek, husband-and-wife team Hardik and Sejal Pandya have opened their first Hungry Howie’s restaurant. They bring experience of multi-unit operations and also own Subway and The UPS Store locations. Their new restaurant extends Hungry Howie’s presence in the Southeast.

The Tucson opening introduces another established group to the brand. Gregg Gilfillan, Pete Simms and Bill Sladek have joined with Sladek’s sons, Zach and Josh, to open the restaurant after signing a three-unit agreement for the market.

Gilfillan, Simms and Bill Sladek own 13 Dairy Queen locations. Hungry Howie’s represents their first move into pizza, adding a different food offer to their existing operating experience. The Tucson restaurant is an opening under that agreement; the announcement does not describe all three planned units as trading.

In San Antonio, Muhammad Khan has opened his second Hungry Howie’s restaurant in the city. Khan also owns a local 7-Eleven, combining expansion within the pizza brand with ownership elsewhere in the franchise community.

Existing franchisees build local portfolios

The Crawfordsville and Traverse City openings illustrate a different route to growth: further investment by people already connected with Hungry Howie’s.

In Crawfordsville, franchisees Jinesh Patel, Amit Patel and Parth Patel have opened a new restaurant. It is Jinesh Patel’s second Hungry Howie’s location in Indiana, adding to his presence within the state.

The latest Traverse City restaurant involves veteran multi-unit franchisee Kory Hershock, his father Kevin Hershock, and partners Jason Freese and Kylee Bird. Kory Hershock grew up in the family business before moving into ownership and developing his restaurant portfolio across Michigan and Indiana.

Bird, aged 24, is described by the company as the youngest Hungry Howie’s franchisee in the market. The ownership group brings together family-business experience and a younger partner within the same restaurant project.

These openings show that the quarter’s additions were not solely dependent on recruiting operators from outside the network. Existing franchisees and family-linked partnerships also contributed to the new locations.

A first restaurant venture and a stadium opening

Dearborn Heights adds another ownership background to the group. Its restaurant was opened by Dani Jajou, a personal injury attorney and multi-business owner who is new to Hungry Howie’s. The opening marks his first restaurant venture.

The seventh addition is inside Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, serving University of Michigan football fans. It gives the brand a presence at a sporting venue alongside the other locations announced for the quarter.

Taken together, the openings demonstrate several entry and expansion routes within one franchise network: a first restaurant business, diversification by experienced operators, repeat investment by existing franchisees and a family-linked ownership group.

Practical takeaway: Prospective franchisees should distinguish between completed openings and future development commitments, and ask how a brand’s support fits their own experience—whether they are entering restaurants for the first time or adding another name to an established portfolio.