National pizza franchise Hungry Howie’s may be opening in Keller in about a month.
According to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing, a $225,000 renovation project is underway at The Lyric “for a carry-out pizza restaurant in a new multi-tenant building shell.”
The Lyric is located at 1320 N. Main St. — a residential neighborhood with nearby restaurants that include Taste of Asia and NY Pizza & Pasta.
According to its website, Hungry Howie’s operates hundreds of stores across the U.S. In Texas, it has franchises in Katy, Houston, Laredo, San Antonio, and College Station. The chain is known for its flavored crust, Howie Bread, oven-baked subs, Howie Wings, and No-Dough Bowl. Its menu also includes salads, flatbread, and desserts.
QSR Magazine reported in March 2022 that company officials target retail space between 1,400 and 1,600 square feet “in what quick-service concepts typically aim for — inline, endcap, standalone, etc.” The publication also reported interest in Texas, elsewhere in the South, along the East Coast, and on the I-75 corridor in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan.
Founded in 1973 by Jim Hearn in what was a 1,000-square-foot hamburger joint near Detroit, Hungry Howie’s has become “a successful carryout and delivery pizzeria,” with Steve Jackson partnering with Hearn to expand the brand, according to its website. A decade later, their first franchise opened, and by the end of the 1980s, more than 160 stores were in operation.
By 2005, Hungry Howie’s had opened 500 stores, with the brand becoming “a major competitor in the pizza marketplace,” according to its website.
The filing lists Jeffery Scott Architects of Farmington, Michigan, as the design firm. Construction is scheduled to end on Dec. 15, according to the state filing.