FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT
Larry Tipton
Lancaster Wings
+ Year Became a BWW Franchisee: 1998
+ Total Number of BWW Locations: 10 locations in
Ohio and Arizona
+ Total Number of Employees: Approximately 575
employees
What drew you to the brand?
In the late 1990s, B-Dubs ® was well established, mainly
in Ohio, as a counter-service, fast-casual concept that
featured a family-oriented sports restaurant. It was very
different in that when you visited a location it was so much
more fun. I liked the idea of having a family-type sports
concept that was fun for the whole family. It was a hit!
What other concepts do you own? The best business advice came to me early in life from
my father. Always know and understand your limitations
by hiring the best people in this business to maximize your
chances of being successful for the long run.
Six Pizza Cottage restaurants located in and around our
BWW locations in Ohio that feature mainly carryout and
delivery service to local businesses. Describe the biggest industry challenge since
you started:
What are your current top three business goals?
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1. Grow my company and hopefully take advantage of
the current buying opportunity within our BWW brand.
2. To be able to offer my employees a great opportunity
to work and be successful in their own professional lives
while offering them a great experience along the way. I have
been fortunate enough to have watched some of my young
employees grow up working for me and start their own
families, all while continuing to serve our valued guests and
become productive members of our communities.
3. Be careful not to get stuck in the past while keeping
myself and my leadership team continuously looking at new
advances in the way we operate our restaurants. We always
want to stay one step ahead of our competition.
Describe your best recent business decision:
What is the best business advice you have
received?
To step out of my comfort zone and expand my portfolio
of brands. Beware, though: There’s nothing easy about it,
and I would advise anyone thinking about that to do their
homework. Having the support of the BWW home office is
something I have grown to respect and value much more in
recent months.
Biggest industry challenge, as always, has been hiring
and retaining the best people in our markets to represent
our company in the best possible light. Your employees and
managers are a direct reflection of the ownership. Treat them
with the same respect you would expect for yourself, and the
end result will be a positive one.
Describe your current biggest challenge as a
franchisee:
That’s easy: trying to overcome the constant efforts of
so many things that erode our bottom line. The cost and
challenges of the Affordable Care Act and working through a
fair conversation about where the minimum wage should be
for starting employees. We are being forced to start a young
person with no experience in the workforce at a pay rate that
should be earned over a period of time.
What is your favorite BWW wing sauce?
Spicy garlic.
If I weren’t a franchisee, I would be …
I have a background in music, so I think I would go back
to singing for my supper. S