Fresh franchisee wanted: The Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar looks for a new franchisee to bring the seafood restaurant to Fayetteville market

By Faith Hatton, posted Feb 11, 2025 on BizFayetteville.com

Logo pulled from the Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar **Facebook page**.

North Carolina based seafood franchise Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar is looking for a new partner to continue expansion across the state.

The first Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar got its start in 2007 in a 900-square-foot location in Carolina Beach, NC. Since then, the franchise has grown to include locations across six states with their largest footprint being in North Carolina with ten locations.

It was announced in early 2025 that the brand was looking to continue expansion into the Fayetteville-Fort Liberty market. Leadership with the brand says that with a diverse community and a strong dining-out culture, the city offers an ideal setting for a seafood restaurant franchise.

“Fayetteville is only two hours from us, so we have stores in the Raleigh market and the Charlotte market and then of course here along the coast. It would have a very similar reach for us,” shared Shuckin’ Shack CEO Jonathan Weathington. “I grew up just south of Fayetteville and there’s a lot of folks in that area that vacation in places where we already have restaurants, so there’s already brand familiarity.”

The Shuckin’ Shack offers a ‘Mid-Atlantic, East Coast Oyster Bar style” with menu offerings including, steamed, broiled and some southern style seafood options.

“All of our seafood is wild caught American. It comes from domestic waters so it’s a little bit of a higher quality product. And so, there's a big differentiation there, we don't steam anything in bags and then coat it in seasoning. It basically comes out of water, goes in the steamer and then gets served on the plate,” shared Weathington. “We're trying to make the menu fairly simple; you think about an East Coast beach bar. We put things on it that are very indicative of that East Coast beach culture. And then beyond that, we know that not everyone eats seafood, and so we added a few menu items here and there.”

Weathington shared that the Shuckin’ Shack currently has 16 franchise locations with 13 franchisees with more locations in the works.

The brand offers a proven operational framework, comprehensive support and a strong focus on sustainability and community engagement. The cost to open a Shuckin’ Shack franchise ranges from $471,750 to $1,416,420, according to the brand’s Franchise Disclosure Document.

According to Weathington, community engagement is a key factor for a franchisee to consider when joining the team.

“We're really looking for someone that has the desire to serve the community. That's where we've seen the most success. We really want someone who can be a pillar of the community. We do a lot of fundraisers for the homeless society, for Veterans’ organizations, for local sports teams, all of those things,” shared Weathington.

Learn more about this exciting opportunity and explore Fayetteville at https://shuckinshackfranchise.com/fayetteville/.

Learn more about the restaurant and their offerings on their website here.

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