Hawaiian Bros Island Grill is planning 52 new restaurants in Florida, bringing its Hawaiian-style plate lunches to Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando over the next six years. Florida has welcomed other restaurant-chain expansion plans, but this one comes with an especially ambitious target: 24 Hawaiian Bros restaurants in the first three years alone.
The company announced the 52-location franchise development agreement on October 13, 2026. Southern Rock Restaurants and Southern Rock Hawaii will handle the rollout, making Florida a new state for the fast-growing chain. No specific addresses or grand-opening dates have been released.
Four Florida markets are getting Hawaiian Bros
The agreement covers four large areas of the state. Jacksonville and Gainesville are part of the plan in northern Florida, with Tampa on the Gulf Coast and Orlando in Central Florida also slated for new restaurants.
Hawaiian Bros hasn’t divided the 52 planned restaurants into city-by-city totals. There’s also no public list of potential street addresses, so residents shouldn’t expect 52 restaurants to appear at once. The development is scheduled to unfold over six years, and individual locations will need to move through the usual steps before welcoming customers.
The first three years account for 24 of the planned locations. That leaves 28 more in the later phase of the agreement. Those figures represent the franchise group’s intended development schedule, rather than restaurants that have already opened or are all under construction.
The franchise operator already runs nearly 200 restaurants
Southern Rock CEO Max Piet will lead the Florida project. Piet has more than 35 years of restaurant-industry experience, according to Hawaiian Bros, and his team currently operates nearly 200 McAlister’s Deli and Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants across 13 states.
That gives the company a partner familiar with opening and managing multiple restaurant locations. Southern Rock already works with two fast-casual brands, and Hawaiian Bros will add a third name to its portfolio as the Florida expansion proceeds.
What’s on the Hawaiian Bros menu?
Hawaiian Bros is best known for its island-inspired plate lunches. The menu features chicken or pork with sweet, savory or spicy glazes, served with steamed white rice and macaroni salad or vegetables. The chain also offers Dole Soft Serve for dessert.
Its kitchen model is unusual for a restaurant chain: the company says its food is prepared without freezers, fryers or microwaves. Hawaiian Bros launched in 2018 and says it has grown to more than 80 restaurants in 14 states, with most locations operated by franchisees.
Beyond Florida, the brand says it has more than 350 additional restaurants covered by development agreements across 20 states. Those agreements describe planned growth, not hundreds of completed openings.
When could Florida’s first restaurant open?
The six-year agreement gives the chain a timetable for the broader expansion, but it does not establish a date for Florida’s first Hawaiian Bros. Neither a first city nor a first address has been announced, so diners in Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando will have to look for individual location announcements as the project progresses.
For now, the big development is the size of the commitment: 52 planned restaurants, four Florida markets and an experienced franchise operator tasked with making the expansion happen.
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