Press Release

​Entrepreneur spotlights Graze Craze as the driving force behind the charcuterie boom sweeping TikTok and Pinterest. As the category leader with 132 locations and on track for 150 by year’s end, Graze Craze has seen average sales grow 16% year over year, with picnic box sales quadrupling since a menu refresh. President Cory Hibbard explains why Gen Z is drawn to boards for connection and gathering, and the article features franchisee Amaan Bhanji, who joined the brand at just 18 and now runs its top-performing location in Arlington, Virginia.

Gen Z Turned This Food Craze Into a TikTok Obsession. Franchisors Are Cashing In.

Charcuterie boards are all over Instagram and TikTok, and franchise chains like Graze Craze are moving to seize the meat-and-cheese wave.

Charcuterie has become a social media phenomenon. TikTokers, like savorygirll, showing off boards of meat and cheese, have racked up millions of views over the past year, and Pinterest users are pinning colorful, budget-friendly spreads by the thousands, according to Franchise Times.

Franchise chains have jumped on the board wagon. Graze Craze, the category leader with 132 units, plans to hit 150 stores by year’s end and has seen average sales climb 16% year over year. President Cory Hibbard says the reason younger consumers are suddenly sweet for meat and cheese boards is that they’re craving a “sense of community and gathering” over more formal entertaining. And it’s not just parties. Smaller “picnic box” offerings, aimed at date nights, have also seen sales quadruple since the company restructured the menu item.

Xoxo Charcuterie, founded by Masha Welker in 2020 after she noticed the trend during Covid lockdowns, has grown to three units in Arizona and built a following of more than 32,000 on Instagram.

The trend has also created an unlikely franchisee star: Amaan Bhanji signed with Graze Craze in 2022 at just 18 years old, straight out of high school. Now 22, he runs the system’s top-performing location in Arlington, Virginia, and plans to open a second unit in Washington, D.C. next year.