QSR May 2022

DEPARTMENT FRANCHISE FORWARD

NoTime Like thePresent Pandemic conditions or not, some brands are racing to get franchise programs off the ground and capitalize on growth opportunities. B Y B R Y A N R E E S M A N

attorneys at Nixon Peabody and our consul tants at MSA Worldwide are awesome. They focus strictly on franchising, and they’ve been doing it for 20 or 30 years. They showed us the ropes. Without that expertise, we would prob ably have launched in 2027.” Beyond the various state and federal regu lations that come with franchising, H&H built out its entire operational training, manuals, and brand standards with cloud-based operations software f irm Friend Connect that the fran chisees access. “We’re 90 percent of the way through and have been working on it for over a year,” Rushin says. “It’s all that underlying infrastructure stuff that you don’t really think about that takes a long time to think through and build off of. So when you do sign your first deal you have everything ready and you’re not f loundering around putting something together at the last second.”

Miller’s Famous Sandwiches is another 50-year-old brand looking to the franchising space. Over the decades, it’s established roots as a top-notch roast beef destination at two Rhode Island locations, which never closed during the pandemic. The chain’s original 1,500-square-foot main unit in East Providence did nearly $2.4 million in sales last year. Gwendolyn Graham, president of Miller’s Famous Sandwiches, has been with the brand since 2006. Her husband, Roger Miller Jr., VP and chief operating officer, came onboard fully in 2010 when the company opened its second location. He’s a third-generation operator. Both were asked if they wanted to continue the tradition. They previously worked in IT, and Gwendolyn in accounting as well, which has helped through the transition. Like H&H, Miller’s is choosing slow, steady growth at first, seek ing both first-time and experienced franchisees with passion for their brand. They are not looking to add multiple units at the start for the sake of revenue. As of press time, Miller’s was close to signing its first franchisee in southeastern Massachusetts, about 25 miles from the chain’s East Providence location, and was looking at tertiary mar kets outside Boston where interest is strong and the brand resonates. “Systems are important in franchising—to make sure that those can be replicated and duplicated,” Graham says. “We’re process oriented people, and that’s what running a quick CONTINUED ON PAGE 102

After 50 years, Miller’s Famous Sandwiches decided to get into the franchising space.

O nce a restaurant brand becomes well established on a local or regional level, the natural next step for many is to dive into franchising. It’s a step easier said than done, especially during a pandemic when many businesses halted shop and huddled up. But some endured and even thrived during the COVID-19 crisis, and are progressing with their f irst franchise plans. It’s served up new lessons of its own—franchising requires patience and purpose. Iconic New York City brand H&H Bagels, which has five loca tions and turns 50 this year, saw its domestic shipping swell 500 percent and global wholesale increase 400 percent. H&H CEO Jay Rushin says the company became a better team and operator as a result. After five years of planning—during which he became very aware of their positive brand image after starting their global wholesale business—the company started franchising last fall, with four to six new units planned for 2022, and more accelerated growth in store for 2023. “We probably launched it about as fast as you could, at least at the quality level we’re looking to achieve,” Rushin says. “Our

MILLER’S FAMOUS SANDWICHES

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MAY 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com