Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2015 | Page 44

D OM I N A T O R S
BY DEBBIE SELINSKY

Burger Kingdom
T

Arby’s ex-CEO returns to his multi-unit roots

om Garrett breaks down his 30
years with Arby’s—first as an assistant manager, then as the brand’s
largest franchisee, and finally as
CEO of the franchisor—this way: “I like
to say that 25 of those years were great, 3
were mediocre, and 2 were miserable—
in that order.”
In mid-2005, Garrett was president

of RTM Restaurant Group (operator
of 775 Arby’s in 22 states with sales of
nearly $800 million) when it was acquired
by Triarc Companies (franchisor of the
Arby’s brand). Following the sale, he became COO of Arby’s at a time, he says,
when the company was “overleveraged
in an economic crisis.” However, he adds,
the time he spent there, before exiting

as CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group in
early 2010, was ultimately worthwhile.
“I can’t say it was fun, but those 5 years
made me tougher and smarter and better prepared to go back to what I love:
being a multi-unit franchisee.”
Following a couple of years as a fulltime dad to his two young daughters, Garrett began to look for new opportunities
in franchising. “You don’t get to be an
800-store franchisee without knowing
how to consolidate and how to create
value where other