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 14 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE III, 2016 muf3_profile_butt(14,16).indd 14 7/8/16 11:38 AM