Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2012 | Page 44

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Reconnecting: with Eric Werner
By Kerry Pipes

Subs, Burgers, and Tans
Lone Star operator continues to add brands
T
he last time we visited with Eric
Werner, he had just signed a
deal with the up-and-coming
LA Sunset Tan franchise. That
was 2008, and he had become one of
the brand’s first franchisees and an area
developer for the Dallas area. He’s quite
familiar with the Texas market because
he’s been operating dozens of Subways
there for almost 20 years. When we
checked back with him recently to see
how things were going, his vivacious
response was, “Of course everything
is going very well!”
He currently operates 56 Subways,
with plans to open three more this year.
Sales, he says, have been up dramatically
the past 3 years thanks to the Any $5
Footlong promo and solid operations.
“I may have owned a few more Subways when you did the last profile, but I
had some great offers to buy some of my
stores so I sold them,” he says. “However,
my long-term goal is to own 70 highvolume Subway stores with strong operations and high profitability.”
He’s also happy with his LA Sunset
Tan salon, which he said took some time

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue II, 2012

to reach a revenue goal he was satisfied
with. “This last year was an incredible
record-breaking year, so now I plan on
opening at least one LA Sunset Tan every
year in the DFW area for the next 20
years. Within the next 10 years I should
have 15 salons open in the DFW area.”
He says LA Sunset Tan has in some
ways turned out to be his most satisfying endeavor because it’s “a fun business
that’s so easy to operate,” he says. “It’s
totally different in that you have to build
your membership up just like a gym, but
by the time we entered our third year
we were extremely profitable,” he says.
“I truly can’t wait to see what happens
Name: Eric Werner
Title: CEO
Company: Texas Subs (Subway);

DFW Tanning (LA Sunset Tan);
Benchmark Burgers (Mooyah
Burgers & Fries)
No. of units: 56 Subways, 1 LA
Sunset Tan with a second scheduled
to open in 2012, 1 Mooyah Burger
Age: 48

in 2012! It’s one of the best kept secrets
out there in franchising.”
As if all of this was not enough, he
recently opened a Mooyah Burgers &
Fries in his home base of Killeen, Texas. “I like the concept and the food is
way better than 5 Guys Burgers and
Fries and Smashburger.” He’s taking
a wait-and-see approach to additional
Mooya h locations. He wants to see how
his Killeen location—home to the Army’s
Fort Hood—does after all the troops
return from deployment.
And that’s just the business side of
Werner. On the personal side, his wife
is pregnant… again. It’s their ninth.
Family: Married 11 years, with 8

children and one more on the way.
Wife, Shaelyn, children, Hillary,
Preston, Taylor, Tyler, RyLeigh, Blake,
Skylor, and Bryce
Years in franchising: Started
with Precision Tune in 1987, moved
to Subway in 1991
Years in current position:

CEO of Texas Subs since 1997