When Tony Mansour sold his two-unit Mediterranean restaurant, Natalie’s Mediterranean Eatery, in Buffalo, his plan was to retire from the restaurant industry after 25 years in the business. But when he and his friend Jean Maalouf, who has 15 years of experience in the restaurant sector, began to brainstorm next steps, Mansour found himself plunging right back in.
Maalouf, who is a part-owner in a Duff’s Famous Wings location in Niagara Falls, New York, had seen success with the franchise. So Mansour and Maalouf decided to take the leap into franchising with Duff’s, heading down from Buffalo to bring the concept to Austin.
Now, the team is gearing up to open their first Duff’s franchise in Cedar Park at 12233 Ranch Rd 620 N. #205 in the space formerly home to Godavari Indian Kitchen & Bar. Mansour told What Now Austin that they are aiming for a June opening.
The 4,000-square-foot space is undergoing a full remodel. The team has added 17 TVs to the space for sports viewing.
“We want it to be a place where you can bring your family and watch the game,” Mansour said.
The franchise offers menu items such as chicken wings, sauces, sandwiches such as beef on weck, and smashburgers. The menu will shift somewhat as time goes on. For example, Mansour hopes to roll out the team’s chicken wing soup in the fall. At the Cedar Park location, they will offer eight beers on tap featuring local breweries and some options from Buffalo.
“We’re going to try to make it seem Buffalonian and try to make people feel at home here in Austin,” Mansour said.
Currently, Duff’s has five New York locations, two Florida locations, one spot in Kentucky and an existing Texas location in Southlake. Eventually, Mansour and Maalouf see the potential for further expansion with the franchise. Depending on the market, Mansour envisions one or two additional locations in the next five or six years.
“We’re going to give it our all,” Mansour said. “We left everything back in Buffalo, and we’re not planning on failing. We’re going to try to make the customer service so nice and delightful that people come back.”
