The Rock & Brews franchise was established in 2010 by Dave Furano and his brother, Michael Zislis. The idea for the concept was conceived after the brothers went to a KISS concert and drank with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley; this caused Furano to casually say, "What's better than rock and brews?" After brainstorming and engaging their talents, Rock & Brews was born. For a franchise group to be qualified, multi-unit casual dining restaurant management experience required, as well as operations experience serving alcoholic beverages and maintaining required licenses, is required. Those who do not have that experience will be required to hire an operating partner who does. Each Rock & Brews location must have a full-time, trained general manager with experience in operating a full-service, casual dining environment that includes the service of alcoholic beverages. Qualified candidates need a minimum $500,000 in liquid assets per store. They must also have a net worth of $1.5 million per store.
There are also site requirements to adhere to. A location must be between 5,000-7,000 sq. ft. and have access to 120 parking spaces; high-visibility signage; and easy site ingress/egress. Locations must also be in markets surrounded by suburban areas of at least 60,000 people in a five-mile radius. The area needs to have traffic generators such as lifestyle centers, movie theaters, casual dining brands, universities, stadiums, and arenas. The brand's menu includes burgers, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, alcohol, and more. There are also children's menus, swag, activities and more to make sure that the next generation of rock fans have fun experiences while at the restaurant.