In order to step up the pace of franchise sales, emerging brands need a differentiated concept and a methodical approach to proving out a return on investment for potential owners, said Chris Grandpre, chairman and CEO of Outdoor Living Brands.
Outdoor Living Brands is the parent company of Conserva Irrigation, a national outdoor irrigation company that started franchising in 2017 and within three and a half years grew to about 116 territories.
âWeâve been able to scale it up very rapidly, and part of the success of Conserva is that we were very methodical in early years to prove out the business model and make sure it was franchiseable,â Grandpre said. âAs a franchisor, you have to make sure the concept resonates with consumers, has good economics and prove it can be replicable.â
To Thamer AlHathal, BurgerFi is a ârevolutionary restaurant,â which is why the longtime oil and gas industry executive decided to create a restaurant group solely to bring the fast-casual burger chain to Saudi Arabia.
AlHathal, an engineer who spent 10 years with Dhahran-based Saudi Aramaco in the countryâs Eastern Province and also developed several ventures in construction and manufacturing, said BurgerFi is part of his diversification strategy and as CEO of Food Supplies Co. he thinks the concept is the right fit to expand in the Saudi market. AlHathal, along with Director of Operations Waleed Naif AlHathal, plan to open six restaurants in the Eastern Province, starting with Khobar City and a location at commercial property Burj Alfardan.
David Farkas Illustration by Jonathan Hankin
When we spoke by phone in mid-January, Greg Flynn was sauntering through the gingko tree-lined vineyards of Far Nientse, a Napa Valley winery. The 57-year-old CEO and founder of Flynn Restaurant Group lives nearby. The main topic of conversation was how FRG would manage the 1,100 Wendyâs and Pizza Huts it acquired from bankrupt NPC International in Decemberâs $550 million deal. It made the multi-unit operator the countryâs largest franchisee, now overseeing 2,350 restaurants spread among six brands (Applebeeâs, Arbyâs, Panera Bread, and Taco Bell, Wendyâs and Pizza Hut). But first, with the presidential election so recently in mind, I asked Flynn about his politics.Â