A star is about to be reborn in Austin. A Tin Star, that is. After the company's first franchise location at Hancock Center in Central Austin closed within nine months of opening, the Southwestern-style restaurant -- known for its grilled steak quesadillas, sizzling fajitas and gourmet tacos -- is making a comeback in the Capital City. Plano-based Tin Star Restaurants has signed a deal with husband and wife Jerry and Denise Conway for 10 Tin Star locations in and around the Austin area. The first two restaurants are likely to open in the spring of 2006. Former franchise owner Frank Sickelsmith had been set to bring at least five Tin Stars to Austin, but after the Hancock Center restaurant failed earlier this year, Tin Star began looking for other franchisees for the Austin area. "This is our re-entry into the Austin market with Jerry's deal," says Rich Hicks, co-founder and president of Tin Star. "With the old Hancock Center store, we had a problem with not being visible enough." The Conways have been in the restaurant industry for 38 years. They operate 57 Sonic Drive-In restaurants in the Austin area through their Austin Sonics Inc. It was the couple's experience that appealed to Tin Star, while Jerry Conway says he was attracted to the company's food, ambiance and quick-casual dining style. "I was looking for other business opportunities in Austin and learned about Tin Star," he says. "I like the concept, and the food is very much Texas, very much Austin. A fast-growing market like Austin lends itself to a fast-casual concept like this." The Conways will operate the Austin Tin Star franchise out of their Austin Sonics office under the name CX2, allowing them to tap many of their 38 in-house employees for the new venture. Jerry Conway is working on developing three Tin Star restaurants in Austin. Although he won't comment on specific locations, he says he is looking predominantly in the Northwest, Central and South parts of the region. Tin Star restaurants generally are in strip centers, and average 2,500 to 3,000 square feet each, employing 25 to 35 people per location. Conway didn't disclose his investment in the deal, but Tin Star's average per-unit franchise fee is $20,000 for the first restaurant and $20,000 for subsequent restaurants. Conway intends open 10 locations within about five years. "But I've also talked with the company about securing other cities in Texas if all goes well in Austin," he says. Austin Business Journal - December 19, 2005 http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2005/12/19/story5.html Page Tin Star restaurants returning to Austin - 2005-12-19 - Austin Business Journal e 1 of 2 http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2005/12/19/story5.html?t=printable 1/13/2006 His ambitious goals for the Austin franchise are in line with those of the parent company, which has 70 restaurants under development and set to open within the next four to seven years. "I felt Austin was a natural market for Tin Star when we first came there," Hicks says. "Currently, Jerry's plans are to open 10 locations in Austin, but we could maybe double that number within the next five years." Alexandria, Va.-based franchise development company Fransmart LLC helped connect the Conways with Tin Star. Fransmart President Dan Rowe says Tin Star will focus on making Texas its largest market, eventually operating 100 units in the state. "In Austin, people eat Mexican-style food every day. So there's definitely a market out there, and we'll definitely get our share of it," Rowe says.
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