Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2012 | Page 40

M U L

T

I

-

B R A N D

PERSONAL
Key accomplishments: My key accomplishment, to date, is having started
with one Dunkin’ Donuts and building that up to 10 units.

Favorite fun activities: I enjoy reading books and articles by and about
multi-unit franchisees and restaurateurs. I find them inspiring.

Biggest mistake: Growing and opening franchises too fast early on. Growing too fast may not seem like a problem, but it didn’t allow me to have the
team in place that I needed to take on extra business. I didn’t have the key
individuals I needed to help me succeed and grow. As a result, I learned to build
systems that allow me to grow when I am ready. Today I build operations first
and make sure each location is up and running the way it needs to be for success before opening a second unit.

Exercise/workout: Mostly I am a runner.

Smartest mistake: My smartest mistake was letting my partner push me
into business with Focus Brands, which I now see is a great opportunity for us.
How do you spend a typical day? I start my day at my home office.
Then I meet with key managers, network, and visit the stores.
Work week: Like most franchisees, I do whatever is needed, but generally
my work requires 65 to 70 hours a week.
ington, N.J., and expanded to 10 units in
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
“The key challenges I faced as a new
franchisee were starting in a completely
different business—franchising wasn’t
around in India when I was there—and
understanding fundamentals such as system development and financial management,” he says. “Having family members
in the business made the transition go
much more smoothly.” (All of Patel’s
family members, with the exception of
his parents, are in the U.S. now.)
Having proven himself more than
capable as a franchisee, two years ago
Patel became CEO of Philadelphiabased Prayosha Philly Group, where
he is one of four partners, along with
family friends Ashok Patel, Dasharath

38

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue II, 2012

Favorite tech toys: My BlackBerry and iPad.
What are you reading? The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by
Stephen R. Covey.
Do you have a favorite quote/advice? In the development of others,
lies your own.
Best advice you ever got: Start small, build big.
Formative influences/events: My grandfather advised me to take calculated risks and never step backward.
How do you balance life and work? I work hard, but I also give
enough time to my family and share equal responsibility with my wife at home.

Patel, and Atul Patel. “My older partner
is in charge of finances and has been
an important mentor to me, and there
are two younger partners who are the
eyes and ears of the organization,” he
says. “We work together every day and
we’re all responsible for the success of
our concepts throughout Philadelphia.
We have a full structure in place, and
this allows for unity across our group
and our franchises.”
Last November, the close-knit multibrand operation expanded its portfolio
(Dunkin’ Donuts, Moe’s Southwest Grill,
Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, and Howard Johnson) by signing a 30-unit area
development deal with Schlotzsky’s for
both traditional and non-traditional locations in the Philadelphia area.

“This is by far the largest franchise
deal in our company history,” says Kelly
Roddy, president of Schlotzsky’s. Patel and
his partners are excited about their new
challenge and are working hard to open
the restaurants. They plan to open four
locations in 2012, the first this summer.
“As an organization, we could handle
opening more than that, but the systems
we need to truly succeed would not be
in place,” he says. “I have learned to take
the opening of new locations slower before expanding. This allows me to grow
strategically. We’ll have one restaurant
up and running, making sure it is not
only profitable but also systematically
sound with employees, managers, dayto-day operations, and everything else
that goes into building a successful res-