Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2014 | Page 12

Right Time, Right Place, Right Brand
Ahmed El-Hawary, a multi-unit franchisee with Firehouse Subs and Golden Corral restaurants, was looking
to diversify outside of food. “I met Sears 2 years ago at
their booth at the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference.
I was looking for nonfood concepts and they intrigued
me the most,” he says.
“I was looking to even out my risk, reduce my exposure,” he says. “When the minimum wage increases, it
hits the foodservice business much more because of the
large number of employees. Also, food is very pricesensitive to the consumer, so when commodities increase
it’s very difficult to combat without raising prices.”
So when Sears offered him the opportunity to acquire
eight Sears Outlet Stores, he jumped at the chance. “It
was an opportunistic choice. We were the third franchisee to come in and do the Sears Outlet.