Food and franchising feature october 2016 1 (3)

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FranchisingFeature food franchising - part 1

o c to b e r 2 0 1 6

community-minded

Entrepreneurs Sought for Sweet Experience

the 3 secret ingredients

for email marketing success Franchising USA

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what’s new!

Arooga’s® Grille House & Sports Bar Set for Long Island Debut

Captain D’s Announces Expansion Across North Carolina Captain D’s, the leading fast casual seafood restaurant, recently announced plans to expand its presence in North Carolina. The company currently has 27 restaurants located throughout the state of North Carolina and is targeting Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Greensboro to further expand its presence in the state.

Captain D’s aggressive growth plans for North Carolina are part of the brand’s overall franchise development plans for this year.

This expansion is part of Captain D’s ongoing success, with the second quarter of 2016 signifying the company’s 19th consecutive quarter of system-wide growth, generating a 3.1 percent systemwide same store sales increase for franchisees.

Fueling the company’s compounding success is its ongoing menu innovation and new restaurant beach design. To date, 50 percent of all restaurants have been reimaged to the brand’s new vibrant, coastal design, with another 50 locations to be remodeled by the end of this year.

Arooga’s and JGJO Development Co. LLC opened their first New York location in the Village of Patchogue on the south shore of Long Island in Suffolk County on August 21st. It is the first of at least 10 locations planned for Long Island (Nassau/ Suffolk Counties) and Queens borough of New York.

The Patchogue Arooga’s offers guests a 7,450-square foot restaurant and features more than 100 TVs offering nearly every sports package available. Arooga’s has a diverse menu featuring fresh, made to order items created with high quality ingredients, which includes many organic and gluten free options.

With 512 restaurants in 21 states, Captain D’s is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand’s rapid expansion.

Since opening its first restaurant in Harrisburg, Pa in 2008, Arooga’s has strived to offer its guests the ultimate sports bar experience by offering the latest trends in technology and service, and has also paved the way for sports bars everywhere to offer guests healthy dining alternatives by sourcing clean ingredients that are free of antibiotics and hormones, and in many cases certified organic. Arooga’s began franchising in 2014, signing their first agreement with the Mohegan Tribe for 15 units, and have since made deals for nearly 100 units across the Northeast U.S.

www.captaindsfranchising.com

www.aroogas.com

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Nature’s Table Opens Three New Locations During Summer 2016 This summer, Nature’s Table, a fast-casual restaurant focused on fresh and healthy dining, opened three new restaurants throughout Florida.

The first, which opened in June, is located in the heart of Downtown Orlando at Regions Bank. Two more followed shortly in August and September, both located in the Tampa Bay area at St. Petersburg College. These new openings add to Nature’s Table’s 65 other nationwide locations in Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, and Georgia.

The growth speaks for Nature’s Table’s flexible blueprint, which is offered to all franchisees and allows for retail spaces between 800 – 2,400 square feet as well as non-traditional retail locations with 20 and 30 feet frontages. Therefore, Nature’s Table locations can be found in office buildings, universities, military bases, airports and hospitals in addition to traditional strip centers and malls. As 2017 approaches, Nature’s Table anticipates continued growth in Central Florida and beyond, especially in colleges, airports and hospitals.

The menu includes a variety of gourmet wraps, Paninis, soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies and protein bowls. Superfoods such as kale, avocado, almonds, blueberries, spinach, and red organic quinoa are prevalent across the menu. The franchise also announced a partnership with Copper Moon World Coffees to bring fair trade coffees to its customers. www.naturestable.com

Hard Rock Cafe Pursues New Franchising Opportunities in Mexico

Hard Rock International, one of the world’s most recognized restaurant and hospitality brands, recently announced that it is actively seeking new franchising opportunities for the Hard Rock Cafe brand in Mexico.

The announcement marks strategic efforts to continue expansion into priority markets

throughout Mexico, with the goal of opening an additional five cafe locations in the country by the year 2020. Hard Rock International currently franchises celebrated restaurant and hotel properties throughout Mexico, including Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, Hard Rock Hotel Cancun, Hard Rock Cafe Cancun and Hard Rock Cafe Cozumel.

“With the success of new Hard Rock Cafe franchise partnerships in Cancun and Cozumel, we see tremendous growth opportunities for our iconic brand in Mexico,” said Antonio Bautista, SVP

Franchise Operations at Hard Rock International. “We are committed to developing relationships with franchise partners in regions that can aid in growing our global cafe footprint.”

Hard Rock offers a significant investment opportunity for franchisees looking to bring the Hard Rock Cafe brand to key markets throughout Mexico, and those interested are encouraged to visit Hard Rock’s webpage on franchise & development opportunities for more information. www.hardrock.com/franchiseopportunities

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what’s new!

Krispy Kreme Sweetens Chicagoland with Long Anticipated Return ground on the location at 17815 S. Halsted St. in Homewood, IL, a Chicago south suburb. Homewood, IL will be the first of eight Chicagoland shops in Cook County through 2020 as part of the franchise development agreement.

The upcoming Chicagoland Krispy Kreme shops will feature the iconic brand’s new design created for an inviting atmosphere for customers to relax and enjoy their treats. The legendary doughnut company will serve up staples, such as Krispy Kreme’s Original Glazed Doughnut, Glazed Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles, and seasonal recipes rotating year-round.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts’ franchisee,

forward to the return of the beloved

Chicagoland Restaurants LLC, has

doughnut shop.

announced the triumphant return of

For Chicago’s doughnut lovers, the wait

the iconic brand to Chicagoland.

After a seven year absence in Chicagoland, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has created a buzz amongst Chicagoans as they look

is over; Krispy Kreme’s iconic hot light will glow in Homewood starting in

December 2016. On Monday, August 15,

2016. Chicagoland Restaurants, LLC broke

“With such an active and supportive community, Homewood offers the perfect environment for Krispy Kreme to relaunch in the area,” said Carlos Larcada, President of Chicagoland Restaurants, LLC. “We’re eager to turn the Hot Light™ back on in Chicagoland.” www.krispykreme.com

SUBWAY® Announces Acquisition of Digital Technology Team SUBWAY® restaurants announced the acquisition of a digital technology team and assets from Avanti Commerce, a Vancouver-based online commerce solution provider and SUBWAY® restaurants partner since 2011.

The 20-person team joining SUBWAY® Digital from Avanti Commerce will remain and grow in Vancouver, which is a technology hub for Canada and a centralized location for technology and digital talent. The new team will be dedicated to the expansion and

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customization of unique e-commerce and omni-channel platforms for the sandwich chain.

to partner with Avanti’s Innovation Team

“This reinforces our commitment to attracting top technology and digital marketing talent,” said Carman Wenkoff, SUBWAY® restaurants CIO and Chief Digital Officer. “This will bring our commerce platform of enhancing engagement and building loyalty to the next level and will allow us to deliver value to the market quickly.”

SUBWAY® Digital is building the

SUBWAY® restaurants will also continue

to further extend the capabilities of their digital strategy.

framework for a comprehensive digital strategy around the world. With the

creation of SUBWAY® Digital, the brand is looking to add at least 50 jobs this

year, and up to 150 total over the next few years, including five on the new team in Vancouver.

www.subway.com

Wienerschnitzel Celebrates Oktoberfest with the Return of Grilled Bratwurst

Pieology Pizzeria Opens Newest Central California Location Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog chain, is celebrating its “sort of German” roots with the return of Grilled Bratwurst!

Through the end of October, fans can enjoy this authentic grilled sausage topped with mustard and kraut or mustard and grilled onions. To enhance the German favorite even more, Wienerschnitzel has introduced a brand new soft and chewy pretzel bun to complement the savory flavor of these delicious grilled brats.

“We know our fans love any reason to celebrate, and there is no bigger party in the world than Oktoberfest,” said Doug Koegeboehn, Wienerschnitzel’s Chief Marketing Officer.

“Wienerschnitzel is home to America’s favorite hot dogs, so you better believe our grilled brats are ridiculously delicious. We’re looking forward to having some fun and celebrating this historic holiday because nothing says Oktoberfest more than bratwurst… especially in our new pretzel bun.”

Leading Fast Casual Custom Pizza Concept Officially Open in Goleta Pieology Pizzeria, where pizza lovers go to create artisan-style custom pizzas in endless flavor combinations for one affordable price, is excited to announce the opening of its first Goleta location. Pieology Goleta is the fifth location owned and operated

by California-based Cotti Foods, which owns the exclusive franchise rights to open Pieology restaurants throughout Hawaii and Bakersfield.

“We’re excited to further strengthen Pieology’s presence in Central California with our newest location, now open in the beautiful beachside city of Goleta,” said Cotti Foods’ president and CEO, Peter Capriotti II. “Pieology leads in the fast casual custom pizza segment, and with the brand’s signature crusts and sauces, along with our unbeatable customer service, it’s no wonder why Pieology has become a fast favorite among pizza fans all over the country.”

Guests can add a taste of Oktoberfest to any Wienerschnitzel hot dog item with the option to substitute a grilled bratwurst.

Additionally, fans can upgrade any hot dog with the new pretzel bun for an additional charge.

Pieology Goleta will serve beer and wine and features an industrial-chic and friendly environment where inspirational quotes decorate the walls, menus and employee uniforms. The restaurant is open Mondays through Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sundays 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

www.wienerschnitzel.com

www.pieology.com

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C over S tor y - SW EET FROG

Community-Minded Entrepreneurs Sought for

Sweet Experience

While the business offering may be frozen treats, the focus for sweetFrog premium frozen yogurt is community involvement.

Rather than just opening their doors and getting customers to come in and make their own tasty, frozen treat, sweetFrog wants its franchisees to embrace an active role in the cities and towns where they operate, Director of Franchise Marketing and Development Shemar Pucel explained during a recent interview from sweetFrog headquarters in Richmond, VA.

“We have a large portfolio of different events franchisees can host in their stores to support local non-profit organizations like the Girl Scouts of America,” Pucel said. “We actually have a patch program that we rolled out with them this past year.”

The patch Pucel identified is a sweetFrog Community Patch. Girl Scout leaders can bring their troops into a sweetFrog locations around the country to allow the girls a behind the scenes tour of the store, where they make their own frozen treat and then can work with their troop to achieve their financial literacy badge. sweetFrog even has different levels of proposed exercises to accommodate this achievement.

The company also has a program for local schools where sweetFrog franchises host educational field trips for students from kindergarten through Grade 6. Franchises also host benefit nights and a Deck the Halls choir program every December where they invite local school and church choirs to come in and sing Christmas carols to sweetFrog guests. Each year they feature one particular carol and create the company’s viral Christmas card featuring choirs from across the country singing the tune.

In the beginning Founded in 2009 by former CEO and founder, Derek Shaw, sweetFrog now has about 320 locations spread across 28 states and four different countries.

Shaw and his wife Ana, along with their two children originally from California where there are a lot of frozen yogurt shops, moved out east and decided Richmond could use its own frozen yogurt location.

The entrepreneur opened his first location next to a movie theater and giving customers the ability to create their own custom dessert proved to be a hit, which prompted Shaw to open several more locations over the ensuing years.

Much of the recent growth and prosperity of the brand comes as a result of sweetFrog’s new CEO, Pat Galleher.

In 2015, Pat along with his investment group, Boxwood Partners, LLC became

“We are making a very strong push to get more and more people in the midwest, the west coast as well as the southwest to open up sweetFrog locations.” – Shemar Pucel Franchising USA

“We have a large portfolio of different events franchisees can host in their stores to support local non-profit organizations like the Girl Scouts of America.” – Shemar Pucel the majority owners of the sweetFrog franchise. Under his leadership, the sweetFrog corporate offices have expanded to welcome some of the brightest minds in the industry—focusing on assisting and facilitating the future growth of the franchise system and the sweetFrog brand.

The right fit While the ability to run a successful business is important, it’s the community engagement that is really crucial for potential franchisees.

“We want them to be enthusiastic, business minded individuals with strong management skills and a willingness to learn,” Pucel said. “More so, they have to want to connect with their community.

Owning and operating a sweetFrog isn’t just putting up a sweetFrog sign, opening your doors and allowing customers to come in and make their own frozen treat.

It’s really about how they go out there and network with their community and ultimately their ability to manage multiple locations.” sweetFrog’s largest owner has eight locations, spanning four states she added.

Along with being community minded, potential franchisees must be financially sound, as opening a sweetFrog is not a small investment, Pucel noted.

The company has attracted a lot of family teams, whether they be husband and wife, father and son or siblings. It also seems to be popular among people who already own a franchise with another brand and who want to diversify their franchise portfolio.

Another group that Pucel has a particular interest in bringing on board is veterans.

She has developed a veteran awareness program for sweetFrog that has already paid some nice dividends.

“We’ve been bringing a lot of veterans on board and have actually awarded three veteran franchises this year,” she said.

“In fact, we are gearing up for a big push in November with activities planned in honor of Veteran’s day both our stores and through our franchise development outreach. Our team offers 50% off the initial franchise fee of $30,000 as part of our VetFran discount each May and November.”

Robust support sweetFrog’s full service support team includes 25 people in the corporate office, in addition to five district managers throughout the country who assist new franchisees through every step of the franchising process.

The company has a team of six people dedicated to assisting franchisees with their marketing campaigns as well as an operational team who oversees franchisees’ initial week-long training in Richmond. sweetFrog representatives go through the final walkthrough of franchisees’ locations with them and attend their grand opening. They also conduct periodic visits throughout the year, host monthly support and marketing calls with franchisees and have an annual national conference.

In addition to that, sweetFrog has partnerships with other businesses and vendors to help franchisees with choosing and building a location, as well as offering them technological support.

Heading west and going mobile While sweetFrog is well represented in the east, there are still many opportunities in places like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts. The company has its sights set on expansion in Minnesota,Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas.

“We are making a very strong push to get more and more people in the midwest, the west coast as well as the southwest to open up sweetFrog locations,” Pucel said.

One of the newest opportunities sweetFrog has developed and launched recently is mobile franchises. Existing franchisees can now get either a sweetFrog truck or trailer to act as a moving billboard while allowing them access to more places like on-site school and corporate events and state fairs.

Potential franchisees can also opt to just get a mobile sweetFrog operation, as well.

The dessert shop has also expanded its location offerings into more nontraditional places like airports, food courts and college campuses.

For entrepreneurs who are looking to open a business that goes beyond just the business, sweetFrog offers a sweet opportunity. www.sweetfrog.com/franchise

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Featu re

b y G i n a G i l l Fr a n c h i s i n g U S A

food franc

r u t Fea

Running a restaurant can be a fast paced and exhilarating career choice.

If you have a passion for food and the service industry, it’s a great business investment.

Of course the food industry could be risky, like any other business investment but there is a surefire way to increase your chances of success and that is through franchising.

Restaurants are the franchise industry’s forte, and it’s been nailed down to a science in some fields. There are different areas of interest in the food franchising field, some focusing on a healthy and expensive menu, while others provide fast food for a quick and easy meal.

Nowadays, franchises cater to the many different types of restaurants available and usually provide different services and meal options. People now order ahead of time online, they want takeout and delivery. They want to be served quickly and efficiently, while eating a great, fresh meal at a good price.

The variety of options allows restaurants to cater to the many different patrons and the diversity of palates.

It’s good to consider a restaurant that serves the many needs of its customers and includes alcohol and a few different services, other than a simply sit down restaurant. There are numerous choices, so you can truly cater to your passion. If you’re interested in a family setting or a sleek professional restaurant, all options are definitely available.

Americans love to eat out, whether it’s on a date, in a family setting or for a quick bite to eat. People are busy and grabbing something on the go works well in this fast paced economy.

Investing in a franchise helps protect the owner and it also allows them to hold stake in a well-established brand and reputation. Some restaurants are staples on American’s menus and will always have a stream of customers. The marketing and advertising is already completed by the franchisor, allowing you to open your doors with a giant customer base.

The food and drink industry reached over 745 billion US dollars in 2015 and there are over 600,000 restaurants across the country. While in 2012, there were close to 1,300 franchised food brands operating throughout the states.

Franchising is a safe bet and it will generate profit, as well as success. A franchisee does not have to be well-versed in the industry to run a restaurant, but rather will use guidelines set out by the head office. The restaurant industry is

Either way, when it comes to restaurants, franchising is a great option. In fact, it’s definitely the safest option.

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That’s a lot of waiters.

chising

re

aware of what works and what doesn’t and this knowledge is passed down to its franchisees.

There will be competition with small businesses; a lot of people have their own private restaurants. Once given a tentatively location, a franchisee may want to seek out and consider the direct competition. That being said, a lot of private restaurants fail, while franchises have a proven track record.

Either way, location is the fundamental key to restaurant success. High traffic areas for restaurants allow more and more people to take advantage of the services. A franchisor can usually pinpoint a place of interest and help establish a proper venue in the right place.

“The food and drink industry reached over 745 billion US dollars in 2015 and there are over 600,000 restaurants across the country.�

If you have a passion for cooking and creativity, a restaurant franchise may not suit your personal needs. Since this industry depends on brand and consistency, it is usually expected to follow the menu exactly, ensuring that all product remains the same across the board. Being involved in the process would help for success and being well-knowledge in the restaurant and food industry would provide opportunity within the business but it will not help ignite any creative flames.

The restaurant franchise comes with a large investment fee. Due to all the necessary equipment and the construction of the facility itself, there are a lot of financials to cover before getting the

Franchising USA

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Featu re

b y G i n a G i l l Fr a n c h i s i n g U S A

“If you have a passion for cooking and creativity, a restaurant franchise may not suit your personal needs.” doors open. However, if you are seeking banking assistance with your financials, a restaurant franchise is considered a low risk investment.

One of the challenges facing restaurants is a high turnover rate. As a franchisee you would like to invest in some quality and dedicated servers and managers to help run the business when you are not on the floor. However, that may not be an opportunity when it comes to restaurants.

The great advantage of owning a franchise is allowing a work life balance that keeps you out of the business’ way. It is difficult to keep a large staff consistent and for long periods of time in this industry, in fact the restaurant business has one of the biggest turnover rates. Some of your time will be

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committed to training and hiring staff, however the franchisor will provide a lot of support in that area.

A huge benefit of the restaurant franchise is the support offered. Not only are a lot of the marketing and advertising materials covered, there is usually someone constantly available to the franchisee.

There are some restaurants that that offer support at opening to generate a successful beginning and allow owners to be wellversed in the protocol while it’s generating customers.

Though a restaurant franchise would likely provide financial success, it would be relatively hard to determine whether or not this lifestyle would suit your life or if you have the right traits to run a business

in the restaurant industry. Reaching out to other franchisees and owners in similar fields can alleviate some concerns and answer a lot of your questions. More franchisors will provide connections to other franchisees if you reach out to them and in some cases you can shadow certain restaurants to experience the challenges and rewards first hand.

If you have the ability to cover the investment and royalty fees, a restaurant will generate profit quickly and allow an investor to enjoy the success of the business with financial freedom. Most franchises in the restaurant food industry are well-established and well received, but given the fast paced and high energy business of a restaurant, it would be wise to try and experience it before investing.

Like any investment, research and consideration is very important.

Look out for our next special feature: FOOD franchising PART 2

JOIN THE

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FASTEST GROWING

PIZZA CHAIN IN AMERICA! *

SELECT AREAS STILL AVAILABLE! NON-TRADITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ALSO AVAILABLE!

Visit LittleCaesars.com or call 800-553-5776 *Based on 2015 U.S. store growth. ©2016 LCE, Inc. 56333

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Cynthia Price, Vice President of Marketing, Emma

The 3 Secret Ingredients for Email Marketing Success

Franchise marketers have numerous marketing tools at their disposal, but like countless other businesses, franchises use email marketing to reach their national and localized audiences.

Even so, it’s not easy to find the right recipe for email success. For Firehouse Subs, a fast casual restaurant chain serving premium subs, sandwiches and salads in more than 800 restaurants in 41 states

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and Puerto Rico, the email secret sauce includes a careful blend of automation and segmentation with a dash of incentive.

Automated emails deliver big time For busy franchise marketers, automation is the gift that keeps on giving. Time is money, and automated emails not only save significant time and effort, they also deliver big time benefits for brands.

Epsilon found automated email campaigns increase click rates 152 percent, and ChiefMarketer reports automated email boosts long-term engagement 33 percent. When a potential customer is

more engaged, they’re more likely to buy and make repeat purchases, which is why email automation is an important ingredient in the email marketing pie.

Firehouse Subs’ senior manager of digital marketing, Matt Olson, takes full advantage of email automation to deliver messages that provide subscribers with immediate value, gets guests into the restaurant and gets them excited about the brand’s emails. For instance, Olson implemented a welcome autoresponder for every new subscriber to the Firehouse Subs email list. The welcome message includes a special offer with a two-week expiration date to encourage subscribers to visit their local restaurant sooner.

“For busy franchise marketers, automation is the gift that keeps on giving. Time is money, and automated emails not only save significant time and effort, they also deliver big time benefits for brands.”

Segmentation makes it personal One of the most crucial elements of any email marketing strategy is audience segmentation. This process is the basis for creating and sending highly relevant, personalized emails, which drive six times higher transaction rates for brands, according to Experian. Personalized emails also help to create relationships with subscribers, which in turn inspire brand loyalty.

Olson is a master at segmenting Firehouse Subs’ massive email list. He segments by several factors including demographics, response history, purchase history, specific interests and more. Olson considers this ability one of the most powerful in his email toolkit. Given Firehouse Subs’ 800+ locations, segmenting by location is a frequent exercise. When, for example, Olson wants to reach subscribers in a local market to announce a new restaurant opening, he can segment his subscriber list by a specific radius around a location’s zip code. This enables him to geo-target the email message to an audience most likely to be interested in the new restaurant.

Welcome emails are known to drive four times the open rate and five times the click through rate of a standard email. Firehouse has seen this return in spades with a whopping 76 percent open rate.

Olson also implemented an automated birthday email, which sends subscribers a birthday message and an offer for a free medium sub at their local restaurant. And Firehouse Subs’ guest love it! The birthday emails have a 50 percent open rate. The best part is the franchise enjoys consistent promotion to its target audience, and the entire process is hands-off for Olson, which gives him more time to ideate new campaigns and create localized messages.

Add rewards to the mix to keep subscribers fired up Email automation and segmentation keep subscribers engaged on a daily basis, but these tactics work equally well to promote new products or campaigns. And just as an incentive or reward improves the impact of welcome and birthday emails, the same strategy applies to specific marketing campaigns.

When Firehouse Subs launched its under-500 calorie menu, it created the Hearty & Flavorful Challenge, a digital engagement campaign that asked people to register for and complete fitness challenges. Participants then posted photos of themselves completing each challenge

Cynthia Price

to the campaign website. With the email addresses participants used to register, Olson set up an autoresponder to send a special offer or health tip to each person who completed a challenge.

Fine-tuning the campaign to boost engagement was a matter of audience segmentation. Olson could target the audience based on level of participation – repeat challenge participants, for example – in order to tailor email messages and create more personalized experiences.

By combining automated emails with a reward and segmenting the audience based on participation, Firehouse created a winning campaign that drove an astounding 83 percent open rate with a 48 percent click through rate. Overall, more than 2,000 people participated, sharing 5,000 photos on the campaign website.

As Firehouse Subs can attest, email marketing technology puts powerful capabilities at marketers’ disposal. Email automation and audience segmentation have been shown to improve the success of an email campaign and boost brand engagement. These tactics, along with some branded incentives and rewards, are the not-so-secret ingredients for email success.

Cynthia Price is the vice president of marketing at Emma, an emailmarketing company. With an extensive background in sales and marketing, Cynthia represents Emma at conferences across the country, where she can be found geeking out about everything from subject lines to audience segmentation. www.myemma.com

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Matthew Jonas, President, TopFire Media

More Than Burgers & Fries: Marketing your QSR Franchise the Right Way

With 160,000+ brickand-mortar locations across the United States, 50 million guests served daily, and 44 percent of customers headed through the doors at least once per week, the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry is no slouch when it comes to competition for top-quality consumer dollars – or franchisee leads, for that matter.

Intimidating, sure. Impossible, hardly.

For franchisors looking for a piece of

the rather large pie of potential franchise buyers, tried and true ingredients are a good place to start.

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Local hot spot Google noted that “near me” searches doubled in 2015. Optimizing for “near me” and “nearby” search queries is a great opportunity not only to attract customers but, especially for franchise marketers with multiple locations in a single city, to build awareness and credibility among franchisee candidates. Among those visiting your QSR are potential franchisees, both ringing the register and gathering information from existing owner-operators. A huge first step toward making the business “mine” for any potential franchisee is to picture him or herself in the business as an owner.

Granted, Google’s algorithms play a big part in which results appear when a “near me” search is conducted, but a few simple tips can help the local SEO cause: • Be prominent: Make sure that the business name, address and phone number are frequently displayed on your site • Be “open for business” online: Being indexed on Google My Business is the simplest strategy to help your local online visibility

• Count on reviews: Provide quality service, then encourage consumers to tell the world via Google reviews to impact local map rankings

Mouthful of PR An effective public relations program can be the sharpest knife on a QSR franchisor’s lead-delivering countertop. By leveraging traditional and digital tactics including press releases, media outreach and blogger relations, leads delivered from a PR campaign are typically of top quality and carry with them the weight of a thirdparty endorsement that attracts potential franchisees.

Because today’s news lives and breathes on the web, a quality placement is much more than a nice article to frame on your wall. Digital PR placements contribute to SEO efforts through the backlinks within the text, driving potential franchisees to your site early and often. Additionally, a well-calculated placement in a local daily serves as a recruitment tool within desired growth markets.

“Digital PR placements contribute to SEO efforts through the backlinks within the text, driving potential franchisees to your site early and often.” customers and other franchise owners.

By identifying relevant keywords, building connections, and creating content designed to engage specific target audiences, LinkedIn is like the front window of an ice cream shop, showcasing your brand and providing you the opportunity to engage in discussions with like-minded individuals and companies through targeted custom audience campaigns. Additionally, by establishing conversion goals in Google Analytics, you can track web leads you receive that originate from LinkedIn (and any other social platforms or websites) to support your franchise development efforts.

PPC for pizza

Moreover, leveraging trade publications both in the restaurant and franchise space help you a hit a target audience engaged and positioned to hear your franchise pitch. A good portion of the people who read publications like this one are the kinds of people you may like to have join your franchise system as its next owner.

Salivating over social In the second quarter of 2016, 1.13 billion active users visited Facebook daily, and there are now 433 million registered LinkedIn users. Social marketing for brands is no longer optional.

Arguably the most important component of creating and nurturing your brand persona, an active social presence not only has the potential to drive customers through the door, but is a hot platform where you can target new franchise recruits. A strategic social presence enables your brand to articulate core media marketing values, share updates and boast powerful testimonials from both

Leads in less than an hour with no more than a credit card number? Sign me up! Sure, it’s not quite that easy, but an effective PPC campaign should be at the top of the Internet spend budget for any QSR franchisor. PPC advertising for your QSR brand and franchise: • Allows you to conduct hyper-local targeting: Platforms like Google Adwords enable franchisors to target as deep as the zip code level, essential if they’re looking to award franchises in specific geographic regions.

• Is highly affordable and customizable: While it may be tough to maintain the top search results as your competitors bid on the same keywords, optimizing your ads consistently throughout the life of the campaign gives you the fighting chance to stay on page one.

Keep the site ingredients fresh When it comes to website viewability, you have about 30 seconds to impress potential franchisees before they turn foot and head out to your competitor.

In developing your franchise website, make it simple for prospects to get a feel

of your brand and messaging in an easy to navigate format, especially on mobile.

Remember to keep them interested with a compelling call to action that gets potential franchisees excited about the opportunity, but stop short of providing too much information that may disqualify your franchise from consideration.

Opportunity is hot on the grill Given that the growing QSR segment accounts for more than 50 percent of sales in the entire restaurant sector, marketing to franchise prospects in the QSR industry is always going to be highly competitive.

With a number of new brands opening annually, adding to the mix of already established QSR franchise concepts, leveraging these tried and true principals of digital marketing can give your brand a fighting chance. The bottom line: marketing done right yields predictable results in the franchise industry. Now go generate those leads and award some QSR franchises.

Matthew Jonas is the President of TopFire Media, an award-winning integrated public relations and digital marketing agency specializing in franchise marketing and consumer branding. Together with the leaders of iFranchise Group and Franchise Dynamics, Jonas established TopFire Media to provide a strategic and synchronized method for digital marketing in the franchise industry. As a digital marketing strategist with more than a decade of in-depth experience in SEO and PPC, social media publishing, conversion based marketing, inbound marketing, sales management, and online lead generation, Jonas has built a career dedicated to delivering an integrated marketing approach that achieves client success and long-term relationships. www.topfiremedia.com

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Bask in-Robbins

The “Next G

of Baskin-Robbins in t One thing we know is that Baskin-Robbins’ franchise model attracts a diverse range of entreprenuers – from millennials interested in first-time business ownership to retirees looking to leave a legacy for their children.

Franchising USA

Our simple operations model and relatively low minimum financial requirements make it an easy investment for people looking to become their own bosses.

and ideas that lead to stronger community

In the Pacific Northwest part of the country many of our franchisees fall into these categories, among others. They have been pivotal players in our effort to bring the “Next Generation of Baskin-Robbins” to life as we remodel existing locations and refresh the brand’s image throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Our diverse network of new and existing franchisees comes with progessive skills

franchisees who are transforming their

involvement, improved momentum for the brand and smiling regular customers.

In this article, you’ll hear from real

own lives and families, as well as the Baskin-Robbins brand in the Pacific

Northwest every day. It’s a true privilege to work with these energetic and driven franchisees, and we value their passion and commitment to our iconic brand.

- Brett Freilinger, Director of Business Development at Baskin-Robbins

Generation”

the Pacific Northwest Ashley’s Story: When I was a kid, my mother owned and operated a Baskin-Robbins shop in our town of Great Falls, Montana. I grew up in that store and I’ll never forget what it was like to try all the new flavors. When I was old enough, my mom asked me to work in the store as a crew member. Not only was it my first job, but it was my first experience with guest service and I loved it.

My mom eventually sold the store and I moved away from Great Falls, but as history usually repeats itself, I moved back to my home town just as the new owner was looking to hire a manager. I took the job and when the owner became interested in selling his store, I was thrilled, and jumped at the opportunity. In 2016, I signed the Franchise Agreement and started my plan to remodel.

The whole experience has been wonderful.

I loved unveiling the beautiful, newly designed shop to loyal guests, many of which have been visiting the shop for as long as I have. The response from the community has been so overwhelmingly positive that I’m already making plans to open a second location.

My son, 11, and daughter, eight, love that we own an ice cream shop and similar to the days of my youth, take advantage of trying new flavors and enjoying ice cream whenever they want. They are both interested in working at the store when they turn 14, just as I did.

- Ashley Davidson, Great Falls, MT

Steve’s Story Before I became a franchisee with Baskin-Robbins in 2011, I was a flight attendant and a florist, with no experience in foodservice or franchising. Today, I

“When I think about what I did differently to help gain traction and drive sales, I can point to one thing in particular: I have invested time and money into local marketing and established partnerships with community charities and organizations. – Steve Leitz own three stores in Oregon, two of which were remodeled earlier this year to reflect the brand’s newest store design. I am pleased to say that under my ownership, all three of my shops have increased sales.

Now I’m in the midst of making plans to remodel my Portland location and hope to buy a fourth store in the near future.

When I first joined Baskin-Robbins as a first-time business owner, I had no intentions of purchasing more than one shop. But when I saw my sales going up at my first location in Gladstone, I felt I could replicate that growth at a second shop in Portland and eventually a third in Aloha.

When I think about what I did differently to help gain traction and drive sales, I can point to one thing in particular: I have invested time and money into local marketing and established partnerships with community charities and organizations. These small investments have paid dividends for me by exposing the brand to my local communities and even more consumers throughout Oregon.

This strategy definitely exceeded my expectations.

I look forward to seeing where BaskinRobbins can take me.

- Steve Leitz, Portland OR

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Bask in-Robbins

“A year or so ago – at 24 and 26 years old – my brother, Mike, and I were uncertain what our futures would hold. We were looking for a fun, rewarding opportunity that would let us work as a team, while giving us the chance to influence our own future.”

Will and Mike’s Story A year or so ago – at 24 and 26 years old – my brother, Mike, and I were uncertain what our futures would hold. We were looking for a fun, rewarding opportunity that would let us work as a team, while giving us the chance to influence our own future. We knew that, given the chance, we could set the bar as high as it can go – maybe even higher.

We started thinking about Baskin-Robbins when our friend, Albert, a 24-year old, multi-unit franchisee from Kent, WA, started sharing his new products and promotions for his Baskin-Robbins shops.

We could tell that he liked what he was doing and asked him about his experience.

Franchising USA

Albert told us what it was like to own a business from a franchised brand like Baskin-Robbins – the one-on-one support, simpleoperations and easyto-use store planning tools, and strong brand recognition, among many other benefits. We knew there was something special there that we needed to pursue.

In just two years, Albert went from owning one Baskin-Robbins to owning three. Watching a friend own and operate three Baskin-Robbins shops was a huge motivating factor for us. We thought if he can grow from one to three locations, we could start out with one and grow from there as well.

With support from our family, we bought

a Baskin-Robbins store in Bonney Lake, Washington earlier this year and plan to remodel the store. In the meantime, we are working to re-engage guests by spreading the word about new ownership, as well as making smaller but impactful changes to the exterior of the store.

We are grateful that Baskin-Robbins took a chance on us, and promise to make the brand, and its guests, proud.

- Will Hundven, Bonney Lake, WA For more information about BaskinRobbins franchise opportunities, visit www.baskinrobbinsfranchising.com.

For a list of stores for sale in PNW, text “DISCOVER” to 313131.

Data and message rates may apply.

DISCOVER HOW

S�ee�

BUSINESS OWNERSHIP CAN BE!

Franchise opportunities are now available in Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles as well as other parts of the country.

Don’t want to start from the ground up? Existing stores are also for sale.

APPLY NOW FOR OWNERSHIP

Reasons to FRANCHISE WITH BASKIN-ROBBINS Multi-million dollar national advertising program Convenient operating hours Leader in product innovation World-class training and support

“I decided to purchase an existing Baskin-Robbins franchise because I noticed their customers always leave happy and I wanted to be a part of that. I’m now a multi-unit franchisee with four locations open, two of which I purchased as existing stores from the company’s corporate team. By doing this, I purchased existing sales and loyal guests, which made the transition seamless.”

- Gary Yarbrough from San Diego, CA

Phone: 781-737-5530 Email: franchiseinfo@baskinrobbins.com Visit www.BaskinRobbinsFranchising.com ©2016 BR IP Holder LLC.

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George Knauf, Senior Franchise Business Advisor, FranChoice

Franchise Restaurant Reality So, you want to move from your corner office and wearing a suit every day to owning a restaurant and managing high school kids. Here is what you need to consider so that you maximize your odds for success.

Franchising USA

The restaurant business looks like an easy business where you make sandwiches, burgers or some other awesome menu item and everyone is happy and lined up out the door. Where that impression tends to come from are the consumer experiences we have in those restaurants and the idea that if we open a restaurant all our friends will show up like they do for the neighborhood BBQ’s. We love the food so it must be the perfect business, right?

Well it could be but there is a catch, it isn’t for everyone. Food franchises are somewhat complicated business models, are open long hours seven days a week,

have coolers full of perishable inventory and a staff made up of hourly employees.

To succeed they need the right owners opening units and growing their brand.

As with any franchise selection getting the “model” right between the candidate and the brand is critical. Figuring out you like (or don’t like) their product is a quick process. Figuring out if you are the kind of person that can be successful in their system, and that you want the lifestyle seen in their owners, is a longer process.

The role of a restaurant franchise owner can vary a bit brand to brand.

“If you are looking at a particular opportunity and you get the offer to go into an operation and shadow a successful owner, don’t hesitate to take it. Spending a day, week or month in the shoes of an owner could be very valuable to making your decision..”

Some brands are looking for owner operators that will be in the restaurants and greeting customers day to day.

Owner operators will want to be capable in every role of running that restaurant from management to food prep and even mopping the floors from time to time.

This owner operator role lets you be present in your business and a pillar of the community. If the business thrives by building loyal customer bases through neighborhood involvement the owner operator can build a stronger business than a hands off operator.

Another approach to ownership that other brands may look for is the small multi-unit operator. These systems seek owners that can open 3-5 locations pretty consistently. This allows for operators that may be seeking higher incomes as they come to the brand from a high salary level or another business where they did well. These owners tend to be very involved in opening the first unit and getting their team in place then turning a good percentage of their focus on getting the second unit open getting that team in place, and so on.

To be successful in this role the franchisee will have to come to the table with the financial ability to open multiple units via cash reserves or financing. The owner will also have to be comfortable managing teams in each location without being there every day. This is typically not a role for micro managers.

If you are looking for an opportunity that can be your launching pad to that next investor level, then this 3-5 unit approach could be the beginning of that foundation.

At 3-5 units you would have unit level managers, multi-unit managers and in all likelihood a corporate office. From there the restaurant world may be your oyster!

As we see bigger players and investment funds approaching franchising for growth options the idea of large multi-unit portfolios is gaining ground. This is a tempting option for franchisors, especially in the early days of their growth, but it has a number of potential drawbacks for the brand. In one contract they could have tens or hundreds of locations in the control of one entity. If they grow slow, don’t open units or run into financial/funding problems then the growth of the brand could be severely impacted.

That said brands like Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and others have used it to their advantage over the years. Even McDonalds, which historically seemed to prefer owner operators or small multiunit owners, seems to be allowing for larger ownership groups that have the financial resources to absorb some of the technology updates and unit renovations that can run upwards of $2M per location in some cases.

There are restaurant brands that are representing their opportunities as “semiabsentee”, meaning that you can own it and have it run by a manager so that you can keep your job or focus on another business. While I feel that there are a few semi-absentee food operations I can’t agree that all fit into that category.

Go back to what kind of operation this is with countless moving pieces, cash handling, hourly employees, perishable inventory and hundreds of customer interactions per day. You will have invested a lot of money into this business and you will either want to be very involved or circumstances could demand that you become involved for the benefit of your investment.

If you are looking at a particular opportunity and you get the offer to go

George Knauf

into an operation and shadow a successful owner, don’t hesitate to take it. Spending a day, week or month in the shoes of an owner could be very valuable to making your decision. Not all systems can get their franchisees to volunteer to do this but a few do see their owners wanting to get involved in the candidate selection process in an effort to build a better brand for all.

And about those friends… You may find people coming in the door looking for free meals or fund raising donations. Proceed wisely! Sometimes giving away food is smart business and sometimes it is just giving away your income. Successful owners learn which is which fast.

Yes, the food is important but don’t take your eye off of the role of the owner. We help candidates find their perfect franchise every day and know that the years we have put into understanding ownership roles in individual brands is incredibly valuable to our candidates.

What is your success story? Let’s go find it!

George Knauf is a highly sought after, trusted advisor to many companies; Public, Independent and Franchised, of all sizes and in many markets. His 20 plus years of experience in both startup and mature business operations makes him uniquely qualified to advise individuals that have dreamed of going into business for themselves in order to gain more control, independence, time flexibility and to be able to earn in proportion to their real contribution.

Contact the Franchising USA Expert George’s Hotline 703-424-2980. www.FranGuide.com

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Haley Crum Blanton, CSP, Executive Vice President, FrankCrum

Minimizing Employee Risk and Injury:

Accomplishing It and Saving Money One area that keeps many restaurant franchisees awake at night is that of on-the-job injuries and their attendant expense. In addition to the injury to the employee, there’s the specter of lost productivity and increased workers’ compensation rates, among other costs.

Increased workers’ comp rates are a valid concern, but there’s more to an effective risk management program than an insurance policy. An integrated program of affordable workers’ compensation insurance and an ongoing risk management program will stabilize, and perhaps even lower, rates and protect workers.

Workplace safety and risk management The stakes are high, both in terms of worker safety and cost to employers.

“A combination of safety training and audits, creation of a safe work environment and enforcement of safety rules, along with a wise selection of carriers, can make a difference in premium costs.”

Franchising USA

The national Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says: “It has been estimated that employers pay almost $1 billion per week for direct workers’ compensation costs alone. The costs of workplace injuries and illnesses include direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include workers’ compensation payments, medical expenses and costs for legal services. Examples of indirect costs include training replacement employees, accident investigation and implementation of corrective measures, lost productivity, repairs of damaged equipment and property, and costs associated with lower employee morale and absenteeism.”

Particularly in a high incidence industry like restaurants, these issues cannot be ignored. The first steps to lower injury rates – and, by extension, lower workers’ compensation insurance rates – include identification and resolution of the immediate causes of frequently experienced injuries: • Cuts: Whether caused by hand chopping, machine slicing or broken dishware, these are a major cause of injury in restaurants. To avoid cuts and lacerations, knives must be kept sharp, with kitchen staff wearing cut gloves.

Guards on slicing and baking machines must be on and functioning.

• Burns: Hot grease and hot surfaces are a constant hazard. To reduce their incidence train staff in wearing proper clothing in the kitchen, the best placement of utensils on burners, how to avoid steam and many other guidelines.

• Longer term and repetitive motion injuries: Including carpal tunnel syndrome and lower back pain, these develop over time and are often caused by poorly designed equipment and/or work areas, according to OSHA. Minimizing them can be accomplished through proper techniques and equipment as well as providing ways to cushion hard floors for employees who stand for long periods of time.

• Slips and falls: These may be caused by wet and slippery floors, made more dangerous by poor lighting

or rushing. Solutions include slipresistant footwear, better housekeeping, immediate cleaning of floors after spills and posting warning signs, removal of clutter and improvement of lighting.

• Improper lifting: Carrying heavy supplies or reaching for them on high shelves may lead to painful injuries, which can be avoided by training staff in proper lifting techniques.

These should all be part of a comprehensive safety program that is constantly communicated, trained, coached and reinforced, beginning with new employee orientation. Conduct periodic safety refresher sessions for all employees and encourage employees to discuss how to manage near misses and hazardous conditions.

Workers’ compensation insurance Although restaurant owners may consider workers’ compensation insurance primarily as an expense, it’s the sole remedy for staff injuries or incidents that occur in a restaurant. Even a small restaurant owner can be liable for medical bills and lost wages if an employee is injured while working. Without the safety net provided by workers’ comp insurance, the cost of paying for an employee’s workplace injury can be devastating.

Here are a few ways to get more costeffective coverage: • Who should be covered: Everyone, including the owner, should be covered, or else owners won’t receive the medical and indemnity benefits the policy provides. If the restaurant had to run without the owner, it might incur significant losses.

• Level of coverage on each employee: Employees may wear a number of hats, so coverage should be specified for each applicable class code, along with the percentage of time the employee spends in each role. Misclassification can result in an unexpected audit bill.

• How rates are determined: Rates are based on such factors as the

Haley Crum Blanton

size of the operation and eligibility for discounts based on a documented safety program or drug free workplace. The most important factor, though, is the loss history and ability to qualify for an experience modifier.

• Ways to save on premiums: A combination of safety training and audits, creation of a safe work environment and enforcement of safety rules, along with a wise selection of carriers, can make a difference in premium costs.

Studies by insurance carriers indicate that an investment in proactive workplace safety processes can yield a return on investment of $6.15 for every $1 spent.

Add that to lower workers’ compensation rates based on a better safety record, and that’s an investment most restaurant owners would gladly make.

Haley Crum Blanton, CSP, is Executive Vice President of FrankCrum, a national professional employer organization (PEO) and President, FrankCrum Staffing. A certified staffing professional, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Eckerd College and is working toward a law degree at Stetson University College of Law. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Women. She can be reached at haleyc@frankcrum.com www.frankcrum.com

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