CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Smalls Sliders, the fast-growing cheeseburger slider brand, has signed its latest multi-unit agreement and first-ever deal in Iowa, officially marking the 19th state that the brand has entered since reopening its doors to franchising just over one year ago.
The six-Can development agreement is spearheaded by Jeremy Music and Chris Wilson, both of whom bring extensive business ownership and operating experience to the table. Specifically, Music has a hand in several QSR concepts like Scooter’s Coffee, Wingstop and more, making them perfectly equipped to oversee initial site selection, daily operations and ongoing guest needs at their future Smalls Sliders Cans.
“I’ve wanted to take the dive into franchising for years,” said Wilson. “But, I never felt like I found a concept that would thrive in our community or something that wasn’t already available to local residents. That’s what is so amazing about Smalls Sliders – it’s new, unique and has a laser-focus on providing guests with the perfect cheeseburger sliders, not the million-and-one menu items some restaurants have nowadays. Plus, when we saw just how much news coverage this brand was getting, we were hooked. We can’t wait to be the first to bring this brand to Iowa and show everyone what they’ve been missing.”
Music and Wilson are primed to take the Smalls Sliders brand to several communities in Eastern Iowa in the coming years. Areas like Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport, Dubuque, Waterloo, and Burlington have been marked as priorities, with the first location expected to open in 2025.
“Each time we enter a new state, we feel the insatiable buzz continue building around the Smalls Sliders name,” said Don Crocker, CDO of Smalls Sliders. “It’s fantastic to see that our name is not only known but eagerly anticipated, so far away from our home turf in the Southeast. Operators like Jeremy and Chris are exactly the type of people we want to make this kind of growth with – they are hungry for opportunity and are committed to our goal of breaking through the noise of a crowded QSR space. I look forward to watching them flourish in Iowa as we look toward dropping our first Can in the state.”
Smalls Sliders opened its first signature ‘Smorange™’ colored Can in 2019. Since its inception, Smalls Sliders has disrupted the QSR industry with its stacked leadership team and robust development pipeline, furthering its rapid growth trajectory with more than 250 Cans open or under development. The brand continues to garner high-level industry recognition, with Nation’s Restaurant News featuring Smalls Sliders in its “Breakout Brands of 2023”, and QSR Magazine ranking the brand in its annual QSR 50 Contenders list. Other accolades include ranking on Entrepreneur magazine’s “Top New & Emerging Franchises” for two consecutive years, both in 2023 and 2024 and receiving the Franchise Innovation Award for Best Social Media Campaign this year.
For more information on Smalls Sliders, slide thru to www.smallssliders.com.
About Smalls Sliders
Smalls Sliders is one of the fastest-growing brands in the restaurant industry, specializing exclusively in fresh, cooked-to-order cheeseburger sliders that are small in size but big in taste. Equipped with a streamlined drive-thru, walk-up window and unique modular buildout, the Atlanta-based brand is headed towards nationwide growth with locations opening across the Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, and West Coast. These expansion plans are spearheaded by Smalls Sliders’ stacked leadership team, each bringing numerous decades of restaurant experience to the table. Smalls Sliders is the brainchild of restauranteur visionary Brandon Landry and is backed by industry veterans, 10 Point Capital, and former NFL star Drew Brees, as investors. For more information on how Smalls Sliders is the biggest thing to happen to burgers since buns, visit www.smallsliders.com.