Shake?s Plans Expansion to 83 Stores

Shake’s Frozen Custard plans to almost triple in size within the next two and a half years.

Corey Osborne, CEO of the Fayetteville-based chain, said the company currently has 29 stores open, but he has already assigned the franchise rights to bring that number to 83.

Osborne said Shake’s, which will bring in about $15 million in sales this year, has eight new stores slated to open within the next month. Another seven are under construction, and 39 are in the development phase.

On top of that, Osborne has his sights set on another 26 franchise locations that will eventually bring the total to 109. The tentative plans include stores in Dallas, Atlanta and Nashville, Tenn. Osborne hopes to have those franchise rights assigned within the next month.

Shake’s currently has stores in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Alabama and Florida. Osborne plans to target the deep South and find franchisees in the Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The company was founded in 1991 in Joplin, Mo., by Osborne’s parents, Don and Debbie Osborne.

The company opened its first Fayetteville store in 1997 and began franchising stores the next year. Currently, three of the Shake’s locations are company stores, and Osborne said there will still be only three company stores when the total reaches 83. The rest will be operated by franchisees. Shake’s moved its corporate headquarters to Fayetteville last year.

Osborne said the average store does about $640,000 per year in sales.

He said frozen custard is “basically creamy, homemade ice cream.” Products at Shake’s range in price from $1 to $4.

Shake’s signature dessert is the Big Bopper, which consists of three scoops of custard, hot fudge, caramel, pecans and cherries and sells for about $4.

“Little kids and dogs eat free at our place,” Osborne said. “We have puppy cups and little baby cones. We want to be a family environment, something everyone can enjoy.”