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

MVP 2012

By Debbie Selinsky

A

Wow!

This mega-zee shows how it’s done

conversation with mega-franchisee Ed Doherty is invariably
sprinkled with a lot of “wows.”
He uses “wow” as an adjective,
as in the “wow factor,” and he uses it as
a noun, as in “that’s a wow.” But he most
often uses it as a verb. “We want to wow
our guests every time. We want to wow
our employees and our suppliers. And
an okay is not a wow,” he says.
Doherty, now the 12th largest franchisee in the U.S., jokes that he wishes
he’d trademarked his use of “wow,” because it was part of his company’s mission statement long before it became
everyday language.

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue III, 2012

Name: Ed Doherty
Title: Chairman and CEO
Company: Doherty Enterprises Inc.
Brands: 61 Applebee’s, 30

Panera Bread, 2 Chevys Fresh
Mex, 3 Shannon Rose Irish Pub, 1
Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas
Age: 65
Family: Wife Joan, and three
children: Tim, 34; Shannon Portell,
32; and Kerry, 27, all of whom
are in the business
Years in franchising: 27
Years in current position: 19

That passion, partnered with the success of his 97 New York- and New Jerseybased restaurants (five brands, including
Applebee’s and Panera Bread), garnered
Doherty Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine’s
2012 MVP Spirit of Franchising Leadership Award. He adds that honor to his
company’s recent selection as Applebee’s
Franchisee of the Year (third consecutive year) and Panera Bread’s equivalent
award, Featured Operator of the Year,
for exceptional leadership and growth
in operations, sales, profits, people, and
communities.
Doherty’s roots in the restaurant
business trace back to his youth when he