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Crabby Joe’s Bar · Grill
“You need to have passion if you want to find success
with this franchise,” says Peter Karamountzos, VP of
Obsidian Group, which owns Crabby Joe’s.
Crabby Joe’s started in Ingersoll, Ontario in 1996, and
is currently undergoing a rebrand. “All of the new stores
we are building and renovating have the new rebranded
look. This look is a modern, open concept feel with large
screen TV video walls, while keeping the fun and casual
dining atmosphere that has always made us successful.
We’ve done that with our Waterloo, Stratford, and Lis-
towel stores, and two more recently-opened locations in
Mississauga and Guelph.
“We call it a rebrand, but it’s more of a new look, new
design. We’re keeping the name, updating the interiors of
the locations to a newer, more modern look, and redoing
exteriors. We launched our new menu two years ago,”
explains Karamountzos.
Right now, Crabby Joe’s has 30 locations, many of
which can be found in southwestern Ontario, and is
looking to focus its expansion on the Golden Horseshoe
area in Ontario. The restaurants offer steaks, wings, pas-
tas and bowls, ribs, and salads, along with Crabby Joe’s
Skinnylicious® line, which features healthy and calorie-
conscious menu items.
The benefits of running a Crabby Joe’s franchise, says
Karamountzos, are the operational support, menu devel-
opment, design, and locations that are offered, along
with the turnkey nature of the operation. The challenge,
on the other hand, is staffing, especially when it comes
to the kitchen. “Finding qualified kitchen staff and retain-
ing them is the biggest challenge,” says Karamountzos,
noting that it can also be a challenge to develop unique
menu items to the guests’ liking that at the same time,
provide value and are reasonably priced.
Ideal franchisees should be outgoing, hands-on, and
motivated, and should be able to manage and retain staff.
“They should be someone who can see themselves own-
ing and operating this concept,” says Karamountzos.
It’s preferable if franchisees have a business and
restaurant background, says Karamountzos, but it’s
not necessary. Training involves working in every sec-
tion of the restaurant, from dishwashing to the fryer
station, ordering inventory, working at the bar, serv-
ing, and hosting. This training program lasts for about
six weeks.
And the key to franchising success? “It’s important to
buy into a system you have passion for, and a concept
you believe in,” says Karamountzos.CRABBY JOE’S BAR•GRILL STATS
Franchise units in Canada: 30
Franchise fee: $35K
Investment required: $650K-$850K
Start-up capital required: $300K-$400K
Tr aining: Ye s
Available territories: All of Canada
In business since: 1996
Franchising since: 1996
CFA member since: 2013BIG HITTERS