Source: Franchise Times
In this column years ago, I talked about how I had two rules I taught years ago to my sons, Ben and Sam, now 36 and 31, respectively. No. 1: Timing is everything. No. 2, less is more. I gave them examples of when the rule should be applied: Don’t ask me for money when I just finished paying the bills, thus “timing is everything.” Or, you just put seven different flavors in your Coke at the Coke Freestyle machine, and now it tastes terrible and you want to throw it away. That’s No 2: “Less is more.”
When I read this month’s issue of Franchise Times, the “less is more” adage came to mind. Dave’s Hot Chicken co-founder and head chef for the 250-unit restaurant chain, Dave Kopushyan, graces our cover this month, and it’s been his intent to keep things simple. He’s part of our focus on top franchise chefs behind some of the more popular restaurant brands.
Starting with two spice levels, Dave’s Hot Chicken only added more “to ensure there was an approachable entry point for a range of palates,” FT Editor in Chief Laura Michaels writes in the article. But additional menu items have been added sparingly, as to avoid “menu creep,” Kopushyan told her. He cited In-N-Out Burger as his inspiration.
“Even though chicken sandwiches might have had like, the craziest lines when Popeyes did a chicken sandwich, In-N-Out was like, hey, we don’t want to introduce anything new, this is what we do,” he said to Laura. Thus, he wants his unique blend of spices to remain a standout, rather than get buried in a bevy of fads.
Likewise, Kaitlyn Venable, head chef of Shipley Do-Nuts, a chain that boasts 350 locations in 12 states, is walking a balance beam of sorts. “One of the challenges with my job is how do we maintain the integrity of the brand that’s been around for so long, but at the same time introduce innovation and new menu items,” Venable told FT Senior Writer Joe Halpern. “That’s a delicate balance.”
It’s not all fun in the kitchen, as she meets with various departments a few times a week to make sure all staff members are aligned on the goal of retaining existing customers while at the same time, generating new ones.
And then there’s Marco’s Pizza Director of Culinary Innovation Kathleen Kennedy, whose aim is to give the product line an artisanal feel while keeping things simple for franchisees.
Kennedy told FT Senior Writer Matthew Liedke: “It can’t be something that is so out there from a chef’s perspective. I want to make sure that there are flavorful ingredients that the staff understand.” For instance, she and her team devised a line of seven new pizzas, with only one new SKU.
“If it can’t be replicated, it’s not worth rolling out,” Kennedy said.
It’s this type of focus, on both leadership and what’s good for the franchisee, that has certain brands rising in the ranks.
Take 7 Brew, a chain of drive-thru coffee locations quickly selling multi-unit development deals. The chain has 250 units in 29 states, and has made no secret of its plans to grow beyond 3,000 locations.
7 Brew’s first franchisee, Brandon Sebald and his partner, Larry Wilson, have 31 locations, with a plan to hit 40-plus by the end of the year. Not surprisingly, they are signing on for more because, as Joe Halpern writes, it’s been enormously rewarding for the duo. AUVs are $1.8 million out of a small, modular box. Sebald said that’s “not that surprising,” since the brand is built on speed and efficiency for franchisees.
There’s always more in every issue of Franchise Times, such as this month’s extended finance focus and stories on a brand that fought to be an essential business during the pandemic, one man’s answer to Uber and—wait for it—a pole-vaulting franchise CEO. We bet you’ll like what we’ve cooked up.
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