Local restaurant chain Captain D's has chosen a Florida-based firm to handle the advertising strategy and activation for its more than 500 locations.

Zimmerman, a unit of global ad network Omnicom, beat out Publicis division Mullen for the account, which is backed by about $15 million of annual media spending. Goodness Mfg., the California firm that caused a stir last year with ads that called out Red Lobster, was not in the running this time around.

Sandy Clingan Smith, senior vice president of marketing at Captain D's, said going with Zimmerman "has given us the confidence we needed to achieve bigger things."

Retail-focused Zimmerman also works with White Castle and Papa John's Pizza in the restaurant space.

"From the moment we started talking with Captain D's," said Jordan Zimmerman, the agency's founder and CEO, "we saw a potential in this company that mirrored the potential we saw in many other national retail brands we have worked with over the past decade."

The first new ad spots will come to market this quarter.