This Fast Food Restaurant Co-Owned By Drew Brees Is One Of The Fastest Growing In The US

You wouldn't think people who are already household names would need a side hustle, what with the millions they're already making, but quite a few celebrities do seem to pursue a second career in the restaurant business. Sure, you might expect Food Network chefs to own restaurants, and many of them do, but other rich and famous restaurateurs include rappers, rockers, actors, and sports stars. Some say there are too many celebrity restaurants already, and in fact, quite a few of them fail. This doesn't seem to be the case for Smalls Sliders, a fast food chain owned by former New Orleans Saints quarterback-turned-NFL analyst Drew Brees. Smalls is doing very well indeed — at the time of writing, it holds down the number two spot on Restaurant Business' Future 50 list of rapidly-growing food chains.

Smalls Sliders is a burger chain focused on, you guessed it, tiny burgers, kind of like a slightly more upscale White Castle. It was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2019, and although Brees wasn't in on it from the get-go, he did decide to get in on the action pretty early. During the time he's been a backer, the chain has expanded to 39 locations in 11 states, and more than doubled its size in 2024 alone. Location #40 in Marrero, Louisiana, is expected to open soon, and the expansion may continue for the foreseeable future. Brees and his fellow investors must be pretty pleased by the payback.

Celebrity tie-ins are no guarantee that a business will thrive, but the Drew Brees connection may well be boosting Smalls Slider's brand. Apart from his star power, one contributing factor might be that the concept is easily manageable. Not only are the sliders small, but the menu is too, since, besides the burgers, it offers only waffle fries, sodas, and shakes. 

Branding may also have something to do with the chain's appeal — it calls its special sauce "Smauce" and its double-meat sliders "Biggie Smalls." (We're hoping they'll consider adding a spicy slider called "You're Killing Me, Smalls.") The chain also plays up its Louisiana roots a la Popeyes (another apostrophe-less chain) by featuring seasonal items like a Mardi Gras king cake shake.

So what do customers say? One Facebook user praises the quality, saying, "The waffle fries are a good size, seasoned, and covered in that wonderful queso. The burgers taste homemade, like they were made in my mama's kitchen." A TripAdvisor reviewer appreciates the convenience: "The[y] serve sliders and sliders only. The only choice you make is how many you want...It's a good place to go to grab a quick burger." A Yelper, on the other hand, feels that the chain is too expensive, considering the size of the burgers: "I ordered four sliders, made it a combo so I got fries and a drink. I added queso. The meal itself is pricey. Wasn't expecting the meal to be around $20." Their dog got a free Pup Cup, however, so add pet appeal to the list of what makes Smalls Sliders so successful.