Drew Brees-backed Smalls Sliders looks to open 22 locations across the Phoenix metro

Smalls Sliders, an Atlanta-based cheeseburger chain backed by former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and private equity firm 10 Point Capital, has signed its largest franchise agreement to date to bring more than 20 locations to the Phoenix metro.

The move extends the footprint for Smalls, which currently only has sites open in Louisiana and Mississippi, into the western U.S. The company has several other development agreements in place throughout the South.

Smalls signed a deal with Tampa-based Purple Square Management (PSM) to open 22 locations in the Valley. Founded in 2006 by Vik and Sanjay Patel, PSM operates more than 250 franchise locations across the country including Baskin Robbins, Popeyes and Take Five.

Prior to signing the deal for Phoenix, PSM already had two franchise agreements with Smalls in Atlanta and Tampa and when the company’s CEO, Vik Patel, saw that Smalls was looking for growth partners in Arizona, he jumped on that. Patel has a history in Phoenix — owning Rent-A- Centers in the Valley at one point — and wanted to get back in Arizona and take advantage of the growth here.

This story is posted in partnership with Phoenix Business Journal. Click to read the full story.