Dog Haus adds local coaches with its first area directors

Dog Haus announced its first four area directors on November 6, with development agreements covering more than 400 restaurants across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Alongside building their own restaurants, the directors will coach other franchisees in their markets, the company said. Company announcement

That support covers site selection, new-store openings and maintaining brand standards. Directors also join as equity partners. Dog Haus describes territories encompassing roughly 100 restaurants each, within a planned national structure of 15 territories and 1,500 restaurants. Those numbers describe development capacity, not operating locations. Program details

Dog Haus says its development team spans real estate, franchise sales and construction to support directors and franchisees. Development team

The CEO’s ownership plan#

In an April 22, 2026, interview with Lisa Jennings of Restaurant Business, Dog Haus CEO Michael Montagano described a royalty share for area directors and an opportunity to buy equity in the franchisor. The article did not give the sharing percentage or equity price. Jennings’s original reporting

Montagano said the franchisor would give up some royalty earnings to bring experienced regional operators into the system and help other franchisees grow. Under that plan, directors could own part of the franchisor as well as share royalties, giving them an interest beyond their own restaurants. CEO’s explanation

The founders would retain majority ownership, he said. Directors collectively would have one representative on the board, giving the group a voice in corporate management. Ownership and representation

Montagano also said existing franchise agreements would be honored and those franchisees would retain councils and other opportunities to participate. Existing franchisees

The 2025 development baseline#

Dog Haus’s 2025 franchise disclosure document described an earlier area-development program: developers had to open and operate at least two locations in a defined territory within a specified period. It covered fast-casual restaurants, biergartens and remote kitchens. 2025 FDD, Item 1

The disclosure required the developer and franchisor to agree on the territory and restaurant count before signing. The area-development agreement set the schedule and obligations, with a separate franchise agreement for each restaurant. The first had to accompany the development agreement. Later units would use the franchisor’s then-current form after site approval, potentially with materially different terms. Agreement structure

The same 2025 document lists a royalty of 6% of gross sales for fast-casual and biergarten restaurants, payable weekly. Its sales definition excludes specified refunds and sales or use taxes. The fee is calculated from sales, rather than restaurant profit. Those historical terms do not establish the new directors’ contracts or royalty share. 2025 royalty table