Dog Haus Signs 50-Unit Deal, Names Operator Leaders

Dog Haus has signed a 50-unit development deal with two operators who will also run the brand. Chris Rigassio becomes president and Garen Khodaverdian becomes chief operating officer, and both take units as franchisees. The agreement, announced May 28, follows an April decision to recruit proven operators from other systems into leadership.

Operators in the Corner Office

Rigassio and Khodaverdian started as part-time Jersey Mike's employees and built a portfolio of more than 100 restaurants across Jersey Mike's and Wingstop. Putting that experience inside the franchisor changes the incentive structure, because the people setting brand strategy now carry the same buildout and labor risk as every other franchisee. For a 16-year-old brand with roughly 50 open units, that alignment is the whole point.

Why the Structure Matters

Most development deals hand units to an operator and keep brand decisions at headquarters. Dog Haus merged the two, so the executives steering a planned 1,500-unit expansion are also opening 50 of those units themselves. That tends to sharpen calls on site selection, food cost, and unit economics, since a weak decision lands on their own profit and loss first.

What Operators Should Watch

The signal for multi-unit owners is the bet on people over capital. Dog Haus is wagering that operator-led leadership recruits better franchisees and opens units faster than a traditional corporate team. The early test is execution, namely whether this group can hold the pace from 50 open units toward its expansion target without thinning support for existing operators.