Dog Haus Names First Four of 15 Area Directors, With 400+ Restaurants Committed

The Announcement

Dog Haus has named its first four area directors, who have collectively signed development agreements for more than 400 restaurants across the US Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, Franchising.com reported on 6 November 2026.

Key Facts

• Model: Each area director gets a territory of roughly 100 restaurants, self-develops units and supports sub-franchisees, and joins as an equity partner

• Scale: Built for 15 territories and 1,500 restaurants nationwide

• Area directors: Nick Crouch (Florida); PG1 Restaurants (North Carolina, Tennessee, southern Virginia, West Virginia); Kyle Yancey (Delaware, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, northern Virginia); Jesse Allen (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi)

• Leadership: Model led by President and Chief Development Officer Chris Rigassio

• Next step: Second wave expected by end of Q1 2027

Why It Matters

Dog Haus is replacing broker-style development with large multi-brand operators holding equity, a structure franchise investors increasingly watch.

Cover photo: Dog Haus, Bethesda, Maryland, by G. Edward Johnson, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dog_Haus_Bethesda_MD_2021-12-03_08-43-30_1.jpg); cropped. The pictured restaurant is not part of this announcement.

Source: Franchising.com

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