One of Subway’s largest franchise operators in Central Florida, DiPasqua Brands, is expanding beyond sandwiches after signing a franchise agreement with emerging fast-casual chicken brand Minnie Bird, marking the company’s entry into a new restaurant category.
DiPasqua Brands has signed a 20-unit franchise development agreement with Minnie Bird as part of the brand’s broader 200-unit development program. The family-owned restaurant operator will develop restaurants across the Orlando and Tampa metropolitan areas, with the first locations scheduled to open in 2027.
Founded in 1977, DiPasqua Brands has grown into one of the oldest and largest franchise groups within the Subway system. The company currently operates 110 Subway restaurants across Florida, making the Minnie Bird agreement its first investment in the rapidly growing premium chicken segment.
Minnie Bird is a fast-casual chicken concept co-founded by Venture Kitchen and restaurateur Sean Thomas. The brand focuses on premium fried chicken alongside signature “dirty sodas” and complimentary soft-serve ice cream served with every meal, positioning itself as a differentiated player in the increasingly competitive chicken category.
“We’ve been building restaurants in Florida for more than four decades, and we’re selective about what we take on. Minnie Bird stood out. The food is excellent, the operation is simple to run, and there’s real appetite for something different in the chicken category. We think it will connect with guests in Orlando and Tampa, and we’re glad to be the ones to bring it here,” said Pete DiPasqua of DiPasqua Brands.
The agreement represents an early milestone in Minnie Bird’s franchise expansion strategy. According to David Sloan, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Venture Kitchen, partnering with an established multi-unit operator provides a strong foundation for the brand’s national growth ambitions. “Signing a 20-unit agreement with an operator of DiPasqua’s caliber this early in our franchising is a real signal for the brand. We built Minnie Bird to travel; strong unit economics, a small footprint, and a guest experience people come back for. This agreement takes us into one of the most competitive restaurant markets in the country with a partner who knows how to operate at scale,” Sloan said.
Co-Founder Sean Thomas said the brand has generated strong customer response since its debut and believes the Florida expansion will accelerate its next phase of growth. “From the first restaurant, guests connected with what we’re doing: premium chicken, dirty sodas, and free soft-serve with every meal. Working with a Florida operator like DiPasqua to bring that to a new part of the country is exactly the kind of growth we set out to build,” Thomas said.
The move reflects a broader trend of experienced Subway franchisees diversifying into emerging restaurant concepts while leveraging decades of operational expertise. Subway has increasingly focused on attracting and supporting sophisticated multi-unit operators as part of its long-term development strategy. Today, the sandwich chain operates more than 37,000 restaurants in over 100 countries and franchises its restaurants through a network of more than 20,000 franchisees worldwide.
For Minnie Bird, the partnership provides immediate access to an experienced restaurant operator with a proven track record in site selection, development and multi-unit operations, while strengthening its expansion pipeline in one of the largest and most competitive restaurant markets in the United States.
