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
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MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE I, 2016
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