Brand Type: Restaurant

Ali Chunara made his first big move with Checkers in 2004 — an 8-store acquisition that set the tone for the Chunara operating model. Two decades later, Checkers remains a foundational brand in the network, run day-to-day by long-time partners like Barkat Samnani (BS Enterprises) and Raul Mar (Mar Food Group).

Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. is one of the largest chains of double drive-thru restaurants in the United States, operating in 28 states and DC. Founded in Mobile, Alabama in 1986, the brand merged with Rally’s in 1999 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

Ali Chunara’s very first restaurant purchase was a Church’s Chicken — a franchise he still owns today. With less than $20,000 saved at the time, he financed the deal on the seller’s trust and worked open-to-close to pay it off. This location remains the foundation on which the entire Chunara network was built.

Church’s Chicken is an American chain of fast food restaurants specializing in fried chicken, also trading outside North America as Texas Chicken. Founded on April 17, 1952 by George W. Church Sr. in San Antonio, Texas, across the street from The Alamo.

Dunkin’ is more than just a coffee and donut shop; it is an American institution. Since our partnership began, Chunara Group has focused on scaling the brand’s reach while maintaining the rigorous standards of speed and service that customers expect.

Our journey with Dunkin’ has been defined by strategic growth in high-traffic corridors and a relentless commitment to operational excellence. By leveraging our deep understanding of the Southeast market, we have transformed standard franchise units into high-performing enterprise assets that serve thousands of guests daily. The Chunara Group operates the largest Dunkin’ franchise portfolio in the Southeast, with our own state-of-the-art Coffee Café Bakery (CML) serving 100+ locations.

Combination Dunkin’ & Baskin-Robbins locations sit at the intersection of America’s most-loved coffee brand and the world’s largest ice cream chain, both operated within the Inspire Brands family. Chunara Group operates several of these combined-format sites in the Southeast.

Baskin-Robbins is an American multinational chain of ice cream and cake specialty shops owned by Inspire Brands. Founded in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California, headquartered alongside Dunkin’ in Canton, Massachusetts. Over 7,800 locations globally.

The Chunara Group operates combined-format Dunkin’ & Jimmy John’s locations, extending the day-part reach across breakfast and lunch. Partner Mohmedali (AK) Kassam oversees the high-traffic Georgia Tech location.

Jimmy John’s is an American sandwich chain headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Founded in 1983, the chain has over 2,700 locations, with 98% being franchises. Jimmy John’s was acquired by Inspire Brands in 2019.

The Popeyes portfolio is one of the deepest verticals in the Chunara network. Under Azad Panjwani (PA Enterprises), the Chunara Group operates some of the highest-performing Popeyes stores in Georgia. Salim Sayani, Amin Virani, and other partners round out one of the strongest Popeyes teams in the country.

Popeyes is an American multinational chain of fried chicken fast food restaurants founded in 1972 in New Orleans, Louisiana and headquartered in Miami, Florida. Currently a subsidiary of Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International.

The Chunara Group is actively growing Blaze Pizza in the Dallas and Atlanta markets. Partner Daniyal Ranmal (DZ Investments) operates 10+ Blaze locations across Arkansas and DFW, while Hussain Ehani (HSZ Investments) has taken over operationally challenged Atlanta stores and turned them around.

Blaze Pizza is a Pasadena, California-based fast-casual dining restaurant chain that serves artisanal pizza. Founded in 2011 by Elise and Rick Wetzel, Blaze pizzas are Fast Fire’d in a high-temperature open-flame oven with an average cook time of 3 minutes.

Kale Me Crazy represents the Chunara Group’s move into the health-forward, fresh-food space. Partner Shahezad Hudda (SJH Food Enterprises) — a proven turnaround operator from the Checkers side of the network — entered the KMC brand in 2020 as a chance to serve fresh food and juices.

Kale Me Crazy is a superfood cafe offering juices, smoothies, salads and wraps in a sleek upscale environment. The brand supports a healthy lifestyle through the use of fresh, organic, and raw food ingredients.

Eggslut brings a chef-driven, gourmet food concept to the Chunara portfolio — a departure from traditional QSR into premium fast-casual. Started as a Los Angeles food truck in 2011, the brand is known for its egg-focused menu.

Eggslut is a Los Angeles-based, chef-driven, gourmet food concept known for its egg-focused menu, particularly its breakfast sandwiches. It started as a food truck in 2011 and gained popularity, expanding to a permanent stall at Grand Central Market in 2013.

Super Chix has become one of the fastest-growing brands in the Chunara portfolio. Partner Brandon Flash (FFF Holdings) has partnered with Ali Chunara from the start with Super Chix in Atlanta, driving rapid growth in Georgia. Shahezad Hudda joined as an operating partner for several Super Chix locations in 2025.

Super Chix is a premium fast-casual restaurant serving hand-breaded chicken sandwiches, fresh-cut fries, and creamy frozen custard. With high-quality ingredients and bold flavors, Super Chix is all about simple food done right.