Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2016 | Page 16
2016 MVP AWARDS
BY HELEN BOND
American Dreamer
“Team work makes the dream work”
P
opeyes Louisiana Kitchen multiunit franchisee Ali Shahid Butt
learned long ago that success
in business depends on other
people. “Team work makes the dream
work,” says Butt, president of AR Group
of Restaurants, which operates 25 Popeyes restaurants in 5 states.
Butt and his wife, Arian Rahmani, received the MVP American Dream Award
for achieving remarkable success in the
United States. Born in Pakistan, he journeyed to the U.S. in 1992, “based on the
desire for achievement and success,” he says.
“I had friends who always talked about
the United States, its greatness, and the
opportunity,” Butt told the New Jersey
newspaper The Trentonian. “This country inspires a person to succeed. People
willing to work hard can always make a
life here.”
When he began his franchising journey
in the U.S., the choice of which path to
take was easy: he was a big fan of Popeyes’
fried chicken. “Once I tasted it, I loved it
and started looking to get a franchise,” he
said in a recent Popeyes video. He opened
his first restaurant in Philadelphia in 1999,
working tirelessly with his wife to build
the business.
“I remember working 18 to 20 hours
a day, full focus without having a back
door,” he says. “It was a very exciting
time, as I had an opportunity to achieve
the American Dream, and I wanted to do
everything possible to achieve it. I knew I
was not afraid of hard work and I am very
NAME: Ali Shahid Butt
TITLE: President
NO. OF UNITS: 25 Popeyes
AGE: 46
FAMILY: 4 daughters
YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 18
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 10
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