Bring The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill to New Zealand
About The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant franchise with 80+ locations worldwide. Founded by 3rd-generation restaurateurs, the brand combines Mediterranean authenticity with fast-casual accessibility through housemade preparation, fresh ingredients, and quality-driven execution.The brand is part of Big Flavor Brands and UFG (1,600+ franchise locations in 60+ countries), bringing Mediterranean culinary standards and ingredient integrity to accessible casual-dining format that appeals to health-conscious diners.
The Master License opportunity
A New Zealand Master License grants you exclusive development rights for The Great Greek across the country. You will open flagship locations and recruit, train, and support franchisees to build a Mediterranean restaurant network throughout New Zealand.Revenue streams include flagship location profits, franchise fees from each franchisee you recruit, and ongoing royalty income. New Zealand's mature restaurant market, professional franchise operators, and affluent urban consumers create favorable conditions for multi-unit network growth.
Why New Zealand?
New Zealand's restaurant industry is sophisticated and professionally operated. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and other cities have affluent consumer bases with high dining frequency and active interest in quality casual-dining concepts and international cuisines. New Zealand consumers value health-conscious dining and appreciate Mediterranean cuisine. The franchise model is well-established in New Zealand, with experienced multi-unit operators actively evaluating growth-stage concepts.For The Great Greek, New Zealand represents an immediate expansion opportunity into an English-language market with professional business standards and operators who understand quality, operational excellence, and brand differentiation—core to The Great Greek's positioning.
What this Master License delivers
- Exclusive development rights across New Zealand, a sophisticated restaurant and franchise market
- Access to professional, experienced multi-unit franchise operators
- Multiple revenue streams from flagship locations, franchise sales, and ongoing royalties
- A proven operational model with 80+ locations worldwide
- Alignment with New Zealand consumer preference for quality, health-conscious, and international cuisines
- Full training at UFG headquarters, plus on-site launch support
- Ongoing culinary, operational, and marketing support from the dedicated international team
- No language barriers or cultural translation needed in a professional English-language market
Your role as Master Licensee
- Open and operate flagship The Great Greek locations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and other major cities
- Recruit experienced multi-unit restaurant operators and franchise groups
- Provide training and ongoing support on culinary standards, brand execution, and operations
- Establish relationships with quality ingredient suppliers across New Zealand
- Adapt marketing to New Zealand consumer preferences while maintaining Mediterranean authenticity
- Ensure brand standards for food quality, ingredient sourcing, and guest experience across all locations
Who this opportunity is for
The ideal New Zealand partner is an experienced restaurant operator or multi-unit franchise group with a track record in upscale casual dining, fast-casual, or contemporary restaurant concepts. This could be an established New Zealand restaurant company seeking growth-stage franchise expansion, a regional multi-unit operator ready to expand nationally, or a professional hospitality group. Prior Mediterranean restaurant experience is valuable but not required. What matters is operational excellence, understanding of New Zealand consumer preferences, the ability to recruit quality franchisees, and capital for flagship development.Training and support
Training begins at UFG headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, covering operations, culinary standards, supplier management, franchisee recruitment, and brand positioning. UFG then provides on-site support during your New Zealand flagship launches. Ongoing support includes access to proprietary culinary systems, supplier relationship guidance, marketing campaign support, franchisee development support, regular strategic reviews, and continuity with your dedicated international team. UFG has experience building franchise networks in ANZ markets.Take the next step
If you have the operational expertise, restaurant background, and capital to build The Great Greek into New Zealand's leading Mediterranean casual-dining franchise, request our Master License Information Pack or schedule a confidential discovery call.The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill Opens 20 New Locations and Achieves Double-Digit Systemwide Sales
2025 performance positions the rapidly growing Mediterranean fast casual for a strong year in 2026 – both in franchise development and sales
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill®, one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in the U.S., announced today its year-over-year performance in 2025 – a year that marked significant growth across the system and at the unit level. The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill opened 20 new restaurants in 2025, expanding its nationwide presence in key states like Florida, California, and Texas as well as entering new markets including New Mexico and Wisconsin. The brand also reported just under $100 million in systemwide sales last year, with franchise sales seeing a remarkable 41% increase year-over-year.
On the heels of this success, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is accelerating its growth momentum in 2026 and is well-positioned to have a standout year during its 15th anniversary. The brand is projecting over 20 openings by the end of the year, including in global markets like Egypt, Australia, and Canada. Notably, nearly half of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill’s unit growth is being fueled by existing franchise owners, signifying operator confidence in the brand and its future.
“In 2025 we continued to set the foundation and this year we’re on track to surpass 100 locations and $150 million in systemwide sales – milestones that reflect the strength of our franchisees and the discipline behind our growth,” said Bob Andersen, President of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill. “The Great Greek is designed to scale, with a model that delivers strong performance while protecting the quality and hospitality that define our guest experience. We know exactly what makes this brand successful, and we’re executing on that vision every day.”
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill attributes its compounding success to its dedicated franchise owners and innovation. The brand has been leveraging data-centric AI to better understand its guests and how restaurants are performing, turning insights into smarter decisions across marketing, operations, and menu execution. The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill experienced gains in off-premises dining in 2025 – including a 63% increase in catering sales – as well as with value-focused promotions like its Greek Feast family meals and $14.99 gyro combo. The launch of new limited time offers like its Greek Watermelon Salad and Loaded Feta Fries generated over 24,000 orders; the Watermelon Salad alone brought in 5,000 new guests.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is a better-for-you, premium fast casual concept delivering fresh, cooked-to-order Mediterranean cuisine with the friendliness and attention to detail of full-service hospitality. Its menu champions authentic Mediterranean recipes featuring high-quality ingredients, including freshly prepared proteins, house-made sauces and dips, and vibrant vegetables, allowing guests to enjoy flavorful meals without compromise.
The award-winning concept is part of Big Flavor Brands™, the foodservice division of United Franchise Group™ (UFG). It is continually recognized as an industry- and category-leading brand, being named as one of the top 10 fastest growing chains of 2025 by Technomic and recently appearing on Franchise Times’ Fast & Serious list of the smartest-growing franchise brands for the second year in a row.
“The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill represents exactly the kind of franchise opportunity today’s entrepreneurs are seeking – a differentiated, high-demand concept backed by a disciplined and scalable franchise model. Our focus has always been on equipping franchisees with the systems, support, and operational efficiencies needed to succeed, and The Great Greek delivers on that promise,” said Ray Titus, Chairman and CEO of UFG. “With strong unit-level performance, growing multi-unit ownership, and expanding domestic and international demand, we see tremendous runway ahead for franchisees to grow alongside a brand that is defining the future of the Mediterranean fast casual category.”
About The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill
The award-winning Great Greek Mediterranean Grill® is a leading franchise within the Greek, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant industry, offering a vivacious and flavorful menu inspired by foods in the Mediterranean diet. Every dish is made fresh, in-house from authentic recipes passed down generation after generation. Co-founded by two culinary trained, third-generation restauranteurs, Nick A. Della Penna and Trent Jones, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is an affiliated brand of United Franchise Group™, a globally recognized leader in franchising, within the United Franchise Group’s food division, Big Flavor Brands™.
About Big Flavor Brands
Big Flavor Brands™ specializes in franchises dedicated to creative eating, offering a zesty menu of fast-growing, award-winning food brands with a proven track record of success. From fast-casual restaurants with authentic third-generation recipes like The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill®, to specialty concepts like the grazing innovator and charcuterie board caterer Graze Craze®, Big Flavor Brands dominate their niches with quality, value, and tasty fare for every occasion. Big Flavor Brands represents the food division of United Franchise Group™, which is comprised of innovative concepts pushing the boundaries with an unwavering commitment to quality, variety, and the pursuit of joyful eating.
Get to Know The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill
