Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2015 | Page 14
MULTI-BRAND 50
The Power of More
Multi-unit operators branch out, brand up
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BY KERRY PIPES AND EDDY GOLDBERG
ranchising is easy: all it takes is a lot of blood,
sweat, and overcoming fears to open and successfully operate a franchise unit—not to mention multiple units of a single brand. But for
a certain breed of entrepreneurs, one brand is
not enough. Usually, they’re seeking to minimize risk. But sometimes it’s the challenge of managing
several brands, providing a variety of products and services, and learning best practices from different systems.
Or maybe they’re just gluttons for punishment (ask any
multi-brand operator).
Multi-brand franchising offers not only a diversified portfolio that reduces organiz ational risks, but also
the economies of scale that make a big difference to the
bottom line. But as with any successful business, it takes
talent, hard work, capital, and a healthy, functioning infrastructure.
For the past 8 years we have called on FRANdata for
the latest data on multi-brand franchising. In this issue
you’ll find their list of the top 50 multi-brand franchisees in the country, along with a list of their 25 favorite
brands. Restaurant brands continue to dominate. Some
of the most popular this year are Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco
Bell, Burger King, and Hardee’s. You’ll find the rankings
on page 72.
While stats can be useful, even fun, the real stories are
the human element, the people behind the numbers. We
tracked down a group of dedicated multi-brand operators
who represent a mix of small to large organizations, each
with at least two concepts. Their stories are unique, yet
they have common threads: a passion for great concepts
and products, a customer-driven focus, an eagerness to
provide jobs and opportunities to their employees and
communities, and a burning passion to grow their business. Here’s a preview of what you’ll see in their profiles:
• Steven Taylor and Chris Smith say that operating more than one brand just makes their business better.
The partners, who operate 3 Smashburger locations and
14 Moe’s in the Carolinas, are aiming to reach 50 restaurants and/or $50 million in sales by the time they’re 50
(they’re 40 and 42). It’s a tall order, but one they’re certainly on track to reach.
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• Craig Comer was a successful tax accountant with
Deloitte & Touche in Detroit. But he had a dream to
pursue his own business. In 2003, he walked away from
a six-figure income to open his first Liberty Tax location. He now has five units and is the area developer for
Liberty Tax in northern Indiana and Ohio. Recently, to
balance out his seasonal tax business, he’s added six Mosquito Joe territories.
• Judy Ewing-Lonetti and Sandy Dunn, friends and
business partners for three decades, operate three brands
in North Carolina’s bustling Charlotte Douglas International Airport: Brioche Dorée, Cinnabon, and TCBY.
Says Dunn, “I think it has succeeded because we both
have the same work ethic and vision of what we wanted
to accomplish. It didn’t hurt that we were friends before
we were business partners.”
• Harsh Ghai thinks big: big family, big plans, and
an ever-growing stable of brands. The California-based
family business operates 56 Burger Kings, 9 Taco Bells,
and has signed on with Corner Bakery Cafe to develop 8
units. His company did $70 million in business in 2014
and is shooting for $81 million this year. Not enough?
He plans to have as many as 200 restaurants within the
next 10 years.
• Randy Merrill is feeling good about his health and
wellness-focused franchise brands. When we profiled
him in 2011, he was operating a Massage Heights, a Cartridge World, and 14 Solar Dimensions Tanning salons
(non-franchised). He’s since sold the Cartridge World
and has opened a second Massage Heights unit and four
Joint Chiropractic Clinics, and has signed a deal to open
four Amazing Lash Studios this year.
• William Bruce has been busy with major changes since we profiled him in 2012. Early last year, he left
Abundant Brands, where he had spent a half-dozen years
and was overseeing more than 250 Subways and a dozenplus Costa Vida restaurants, to join Encore Enterprises, a
Dallas-based commercial real estate company. Today, as
president of Encore Restaurants, the $2 billion company’s
restaurant division, he is overseeing 8 Five Guys Burger
and Fries with 45 more in development in central California, and 2 IHOPs with 2 more under construction.
MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE II, 2015
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