Smalls Sliders, the burger chain also planning four new restaurants along Florida’s Atlantic Coast, has another expansion in the works. The company has signed an agreement for three new locations in northwest Indiana, giving more communities in the state a potential place to grab its cheeseburger sliders.
The November 2, 2026, announcement names Keystone Management Group as the franchise partner. All three Indiana restaurants are planned rather than open, and the company is still looking for suitable properties. It has not released street addresses or grand-opening dates.
Where are the three Indiana restaurants planned?
Northwest Indiana is the announced development territory. That’s a broad region, not a list of three confirmed cities. Smalls Sliders has not named neighborhoods, shopping centers or lots for the restaurants, so customers cannot yet pin down where the new locations will appear.
According to the company, the franchise team is evaluating real estate opportunities. That puts the project in the early development stage: a signed agreement is in place, but individual restaurant sites and construction schedules still have to be announced.
These three proposed restaurants are separate from the chain’s first Indiana location, which opened in Muncie in September 2026. The existing Muncie restaurant is not included in the new three-location count.
Who is bringing Smalls Sliders to northwest Indiana?
Keystone Management Group is an experienced restaurant operator with more than 20 years in restaurant operations and franchise ownership, according to Smalls Sliders. This is the group’s second development agreement with the brand.
Its first deal, signed in late 2025, calls for five Smalls Sliders restaurants in the Louisville, Kentucky, market. Adding northwest Indiana brings Keystone’s total development commitment to eight restaurants across the two markets. That eight-location figure combines the Kentucky and Indiana plans; it does not mean eight new restaurants are coming to Indiana.
Smalls Sliders chief development officer Ryan Crumley said the repeat agreement reflects the company’s confidence in Keystone’s ability to develop restaurants. The operator’s next task in Indiana is turning the three-unit commitment into actual sites.
What makes Smalls Sliders different?
Instead of a sprawling menu, Smalls Sliders concentrates on cooked-to-order cheeseburger sliders, seasoned waffle fries and hand-spun milkshakes. Its restaurants are recognizable for bright orange, compact buildings the company calls “Cans.”
Those buildings are modular structures made from shipping containers. Each is roughly 750 square feet, according to industry coverage, and is assembled off-site before being delivered to a prepared location. The format gives the chain a different look from a traditional burger restaurant.
Founded in 2019, Smalls Sliders said in its November announcement that it had more than 55 operating Cans nationwide, with hundreds of additional restaurants in development across 30 states. Those development commitments are not the same as open restaurants.
When will the Indiana locations open?
No target opening month or year has been announced for the three northwest Indiana restaurants. The company has not identified a first location, and there is no public construction timetable for any of them.
For Indiana burger fans, the next meaningful update will be a specific city or address. Until then, the newly signed agreement points to three future Smalls Sliders restaurants—not three places already serving customers.
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