The latest kitchen exhaust cleaning franchise location arrives with a safety-first background.
By Andrew Carlo
Kitchen Guard, the rising commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning (KEC) service franchise, has expanded into Charlotte, North Carolina.
The new franchise is owned by Matthew Ord who has served in the financial services sector for the past 25 years, including positions with several global asset management firms. Most of the firms Ord has served with developed business-to-business (B2B) programs.
Kitchen Guard offers an array of cleaning services and said that it adheres to the highest standards set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). According to Kitchen Guard, this ensures that every commercial kitchen it serves is clean, safe from fire hazards and compliant to all local, state and federal regulations.
Ord is also the son of a firefighter and well-versed in the damage and destruction caused by grease fires, which is among the top causes of commercial kitchen and restaurant fires across the nation.
“Through my father, I had a frontline account of the importance of fire life safety,” said Ord.” I remember him saying grease fires were the scariest. The worst. Our goal is to not just sell services, but be a consultative partner in safety, helping local restaurateurs and operators maintain the highest level of integrity when it comes to their commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning operations. Kitchen Guard of Charlotte offers that.”
Kitchen Guard said that with Ord at the helm, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, entertainment venues, and educational institutions in the Charlotte metro area can receive a new level of professionalism, consistency, and safety in their kitchen operations.
Based in San Diego, California, the company was founded as Green Guard services in 2009 and purchased by EverSmith Brands in 2023. That same year, the company was rebranded as Kitchen Guard.
Recent Kitchen Guard openings include franchises in Arkansas, Alabama, and the Washington, D.C. metro market.
Franchising information can be found at kitchenguardfranchise.com.
