Multimedia mogul, Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God” McKelvey, and his wife and business partner, Jessica Gadsden-McKelvey, today announced they will become franchisees of Krystal restaurants. Slated to open six locations in the greater Charleston area beginning in early 2023, the first location has been identified as Moncks Corner, SC, the hometown of Charlamagne and Jessica. Each location will be co-branded by Krystal and Charlamagne Tha God, making it a unique dining experience.
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“The Krystal restaurant brand is known for bringing quality ingredients and creativity to customers and we are proud to be franchise owners and even prouder to be providing jobs for our folks by investing in our home state,” said Charlamagne Tha God and Jessica Gadsden-McKelvey.
“Authenticity and sense of community are important characteristics that we look for in our partnerships. Both Charlamagne and Jessica embody these qualities & we’re ecstatic to bring Krystal to the greater Charleston area and expand our footprint nationally. We want the Krystal brand to continue to be part of the culture and fabric of the communities we serve and we look forward to doing so in our own unique Southern style with a little bit of swag. ” said Jonathan Childs, Managing Partner, Krystal Restaurants.
In addition to great food, Krystal is also an experience and so Charlamagne and Jessica will work with a team to design the restaurants. The iconic QSR has a 90 years history and has grown to 10 states with nearly 300 restaurants. Charlamagne and Jessica join Victor Cruz and Two Chainz as Krystal franchise owners.
ABOUT CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD
Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God” McKelvey is a multimedia mogul, Radio Hall of Fame inductee, and best-selling author. With nearly two decades at the pulse of culture in TV and Radio, he serves many roles as a co-host of The Breakfast Club, which drives millions of listeners daily, host of Comedy Central’s Hell Of A Week with Charlamagne Tha God, a late-night show he co-created with Stephen Colbert, as well as an executive producer for numerous television and film projects. In addition to his roles across the media landscape, Charlamagne is a New York Times best selling author and founder of the Mental Wealth Alliance.
ABOUT JESSICA GADSDEN-MCKELVEY
Jessica Gadsden-McKelvey is an entrepreneur, investor and personal trainer. Born and raised in South Carolina, Jessica attended the University of South Carolina where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications, with a minor in Business. Furthering her education, Jessica went on to achieve a Master of Business Administration from Webster University. The mother of four currently resides on the east coast with her husband, Lenard “Charlamagne Tha God” McKelvey.
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ABOUT KRYSTAL RESTAURANTS LLC
Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Krystal Restaurants LLC is the original quick-service restaurant chain in the South. Krystal hamburgers have been served fresh on the iconic square bun since 1932. Krystal is located in 10 states with nearly 300 restaurants and is expanding with goals to reach 500 stores in the next five years. The brand sells nearly 550,000 Krystal burgers each day and has sold more than 10 billion burgers since inception. Krystal is continuing to evolve with new items and flavors and recently launched it’s acclaimed “Side Chik” chicken sandwich, which has more than doubled it’s previous chicken sandwich sales.
