Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2016 | Page 16

BY HELEN BOND Let Your Eagles Fly DQ franchisee Bill Spae is a “recovering franchisor” A fter more than four decades in franchising, Bill Spae was fulfilling a promise to his wife to take some much-needed time off when a friend called with an opportunity—and challenge—too good to pass up: to invest in and become CEO of Vasari LLC (the largest Dairy Queen franchisee in Texas and the second-largest in the DQ system), and to improve operations and double the size of the company. Spae, who most recently served as CEO of Mooyah Burgers, Fries, & Shakes and COO of CiCi’s Pizza, loves running companies. And in early 2014, he brought those 40-plus years of franchising experience to Vasari’s 76 Dairy Queen restaurants—70 in Texas and 3 each in New Mexico and Oklahoma. Spae, who began his career at Burger King, has a seemingly bottomless well of experience running, growing, and turning brands around. He’s held executive positions at TGI Fridays, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Metromedia Restaurant Group (Bennigan’s, Steak and Ale, Ponderosa, and Bonanza), Hollywood Video, and Palm Beach Tan. He also has been a franchisee of Taco Bueno in Texas. “I’m a recovering franchisor,” chuckles NAME: Bill Spae TITLE: CEO and president COMPANY: Vasari LLC NO. OF UNITS: 76 Dairy Queens AGE: 64 FAMILY: Wife Karen, two grown children, three grandchildren, and a fourth on the way in March YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 40-plus YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 2 14 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE I, 2016 MUF16-1_spae.indd 14 1/11/16 11:01 AM