Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2012 | Page 30

M U L

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B R A N D

By Tracy Staton

Persistence and Faith

“In the end we’re just cooking, we’re not saving the world”

I

t’s fitting that Johnny Collins runs
marathons. The persistence and
long-term training needed to finish a 26.1-mile race is mirrored in
Collins’ long, difficult quest to start his
own business.
Collins had worked for years as a
fireman and security officer before he
set out on his own. At first, the going
was tough. Several businesses he started
didn’t make it. Even after he opened his
first Wingstop in McAllen, Texas, making the store work seemed like a test of
his faith. “Several times, I said, ‘Oh my
goodness, what did I go do?’” Collins
says. “I’d get on my knees and pray.”
One problem was that Wingstop was
an unknown quantity in his market. In
that area, he says, small, mom-and-pop
restaurants open up regularly—and shut
down just as regularly. Potential customers didn’t seem to be giving Wingstop a
chance. So Collins hung flyers on every
door within a three-mile radius. Sometimes he’d take free samples into the
neighborhood.
His persistence paid off. Collins was
recently honored as the Multi-Unit
Operator of the Year by Wingstop for
his three-store, $5 million operation.
And now he’s opening Mooyah Burgers & Fries locations in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area. They’re still new, but Collins is confident they’ll pay off. “Our first
store doesn’t have big numbers yet, but I
know it will do huge,” he says. “Even our
Name: Johnny Collins
Title: Owner

Family: Wife Irma, and son Brian, 23

Company: Several, including South of the Border Wings

Years in franchising: 8

No. of units: 3 Wingstops, 2 Mooyah Burgers

28

Age: 55

Years in current position: 8

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue II, 2012