Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2013 | Page 44

R e c onne c t

D OM I N A T O R S
By Kerry Pipes

Survived—and Thrived!
Adversity teaches its own lessons

I

n 2009, Charles Loflin’s life was
in high gear and he was racking
up one success after another.
Then his wife got cancer.
“That was a real sobering wake-up call
for me,” says the 45-year-old multi-unit
franchisee today, who quickly realized
there was more to life than operating a
successful business.
Together the Loflins faced the cancer,
beat it, and his wife is now a cancer-free
survivor. But that wasn’t the only outcome
of this life-changing event. Loflin had just
opened two very successful Einstein Bros.
stores and had five more to go in his agreement. He sold those stores back to the
company, refocused exclusively on Wingstop, and began spending more time and
energy enjoying his wife and two children.
“I’m a very driven person. I want to be
the best franchisee, I want to be the most
successful at what I do, I want the highest
scores in the system,” he says, “but not at
the expense of passing up other good things
in my life like my family.” He says he has
been blessed by “simplifying his life,” and
in fact, has been growing his Wingstop
empire at a healthy clip since the last time
we visited with him (MUF 2009, Q2).
His most recent activity has been his

expansion into the Phoenix market. Five of
his 35 stores are in Phoenix, and he plans
to open between six and eight more there
by the end of 2014. Loflin was the first
franchisee to take Wingstop outside the
Dallas market and has remained a dominant player in the system’s Texas market.
He’s still based in San Antonio, with all his

other units in South and Central Texas.
“The Phoenix deal just made sense for
me,” he says. “I’m always in contact with
the corporate office and I’m always looking at opportunities. I’m pretty happy with
what I’ve got, but if the right opportunity
comes along I will definitely consider it,
and that’s what happened in Phoenix.”

PERSONAL
First job: Dishwasher/busboy, age 15.
Formative influences/events: My first job.
Key accomplishments: My family.
Biggest mistake: Hiring family members.
Decision I wish I could do over: Hiring family.
Work week: 5 to 6 days.
How do you spend a typical day? Get into the office early and catch
up on emails and then head out to the stores in uniform to work alongside our
great team.
Favorite fun activities: Golf, fishing.
Exercise/workout: Walk a few miles a day.
Favorite tech toys: iPhone, iPad, and all Mac products.

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue IV, 2013

What are you reading? The Seed.
Do you have a favorite quote? Treat people fairly!
Best advice you ever got: Shake people’s hands and look them in the
eye.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? My kids, and coming to a
great place to work.
What’s your passion in business? Growing our brand and giving all
staff members an opportunity to do better in their lives.
How do you balance life and work? It is hard at times because I love
family time, but I also enjoy working with our staff.
Last vacation: Hawaii this summer.
Person I’d most like to have lunch with: My grandfather.