Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2011 | Page 52

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Stites says food franchising remains a
good business for many, but points out that
it tends to be complex and expensive to get
into. “Some of the brands that have gotten
high franchisee satisfaction scores in our
surveys are Auntie Anne’s, Papa Murphy’s,
Bruegger’s Bagels, and Einstein Bros.”
Romaniello says when Roark considers
investing in food franchises today, the company is looking in the “fast casual” sector
with its eye on “environment, food quality,
value, and brands that allow consumers to
customize or build their own.” He says today’s health-conscious consumers are also
a factor because they are looking for fresh
and healthy food alternatives.

“Better burger
concepts are
successful right
now because
they have a
narrowed menu
focus. They just
stick to burgers,
a premium focus,
and quality
products.”

cleaning up. Seven of the top 10 fastest-growing brands on the most recent Entrepreneur
magazine’s Fastest-Growing Franchise list
are in the commercial cleaning business. It’s
a sector worth investigating (see page 52).
Other trends

In addition to the economic and demographic
changes discussed above, franchise brands
also should be sensitive to the underlying
social and cultural trends that are driving
change across all market sectors and the
brands that compete in them.
• Technology. Advances in technology
keep marching on—a good thing, since these
developments generally help save time and
increase efficiencies. Nowhere is this more
evident than in brands that cater to consumchildren
ers’ technology needs.
Franchise concepts that cate ȁѼ