Greenville's Bacon Bros. opening location in Houston

The New Year promises to be a big year for one Greenville restaurant. Bacon Bros. Public House plans to begin franchising its carefully curated foods concept in 2016.

The first franchise location is set to open in Houston in the spring, said Jason Callaway, Bacon Bros. corporate's chief operating officer.

"It all started because we were trying to find a way to expand our footprint," Callaway said. "We were first apprehensive because the franchise model has a negative connotation but we thought let's take it and do something different with it."

That difference means not only opening more restaurants, but also spreading the Bacon Bros. philosophy of supporting local producers and a commitment to thoughtful cuisine.

Initially, the restaurant's operators opened up opportunities in the southeast, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Tennessee, however when Houston businessman, Travis Cook approached them about opening in his city, Texas was added to the mix, Callaway said.

Cook is currently searching for suitable restaurant sites and plans to open sometime in the spring or summer of 2016, Callaway said.

Callaway plans to fly to Houston to help finalize site plans and to meet with local farmers in the area as well. The commitment to local food and to supporting a local food system is central to the Bacon Bros. philosophy, Callaway said, and it will remain a tenant of all Bacon Bros. franchise locations.

"The number one factor we're looking for is the passion for what we do," Callaway said. "Our local sourcing, sustainability and the way we see ourselves in our communities."

In order to accommodate the changes, Greenville's Bacon Bros. location will become the company's corporate headquarters and training facility. To that end, the Pelham road restaurant will undergo an expansion in January that will double the restaurant's kitchen and add more seating as well.

Major renovations will add about 1200 square feet of extra space, and are set to begin Jan. 1 and run through Jan. 17. The restaurant will be closed during the 17-day period, and will reopen Jan. 18, Callaway said.

Bacon Bros. corporate plans to open or sign three new franchises in 2016 and the growth will continue in 2017. Callaway described the approach as "sustainable growth." That means carefully vetting potential franchisees and spending careful time on training and educating them on the Bacon Bros. approach and food philosophy.

Franchise locations will share Bacon Bros. menu and approach to sourcing, Callaway said. The menus will be about 90 percent the same in each location, with the other 10 percent dictated by what can be gotten locally.

All these changes mean changes to the local staff in Greenville as well. Anthony Gray, the longtime culinary leader of Bacon Bros., will move into more of a corporate role as director of culinary operations. Brian Young, who hails from Boston, will step into the role of chef de cuisine.

The company also plans on hiring more servers, cooks and other support staff in the local restaurant in the near future.

Future plans call for possibly opening a second corporate headquarters likely in the Columbia area, Callaway said. This would help facilitate more franchise openings in the future.

"We're excited about it, and we really think we can make a difference with the restaurant concept," Callaway said. "We would really like to see our restaurants thrive and succeed in every town we go in to, and we're looking to make an impact on the culinary scene there too at the same time."

or more information go to www.baconbrotherspublichouse.com