How CHOP5’s Leadership Team’s Unparalleled Franchising Experience Provides Franchisees with Unmatched Support

In the dynamic landscape of franchising, firsthand experience and adept leadership are critical components for success. This is especially true for CHOP5, a burgeoning fast-casual health food franchise whose growth is propelled by a team of successful franchisees who collectively operate more than 400 restaurants across the country, including Jersey Mike's, Papa John's, Qdoba and more. Today, this team serves as an invaluable asset to incoming franchisees joining the brand, offering in-depth support, expertise and franchisee-focused empathy.

“We started CHOP5 as a way to pass on our knowledge of franchising and restaurant ownership onto fellow entrepreneurs,” said Allen Hertzman, co-founder of CHOP5. “We want to train, support and steer franchisees in the right direction.”

Hertzman himself has been a stalwart in the restaurant and franchising industry for over 30 years.

“My journey began in 1991 as a Papa John's franchisee, where I developed and owned the Columbus, Ohio and San Diego markets from scratch,” said Hertzman. “I owned and operated over 40 Papa John's franchises at one point. After three decades, we sold those markets. My experience extends to various other restaurant franchises as well, including Qdoba, Genghis Grill, Rally's Restaurants and Long John Silver's."

Teaming up with several other multi-unit franchisees, including Brian Mills, Wade Oney, Philip Horn, Donald Bauer and Patrick Gaunce, many of whom he knew from working on the franchise advisory board of Papa John’s, Hertzman helped create CHOP5 in 2016. The mission was simple: design the type of dream restaurant franchise that they would have loved as franchisees.

One of the key aspects of that design, Hertzman knew, needed to be franchisee support.

“We’ve gained a lot of knowledge through the years," Hertzman said. “The types of things you can only learn from being a franchisee yourself. That understanding of the franchise model and the nuances of day-to-day operations have been instrumental in shaping CHOP5's franchisee support system.”

Hertzman says incoming CHOP5 franchise owners will have direct access to this star-studded team, which boasts over 100 years of collective franchising experience. The support infrastructure includes a robust initial training program, as well as ongoing assistance with operations, marketing, real estate, site selection, staffing and much more. 

Another example of how this franchising experience has come to shape the strength of the CHOP5 model, Hertzman says, can be seen in its scalability. With their impressive portfolios full of household name concepts like Papa John’s and Domino’s, the CHOP5 team understands that growth is the name of the game for successful franchise owners.  

“We aim to support our franchisees in their growth, which is a departure from the norm of leaving franchisees to grow the business independently,” said Hertzman. “With a franchisee first approach, the viability of the business model, including royalty and franchise fee structures, is of paramount importance to us. It took a lot of work for us to figure out this business model and get it to the point it is today.”

Now, with all of this support in place, Hertzman and the team are ramping up franchising efforts and are looking for qualified prospects in states where CHOP5 locations already exist, such as Ohio and Florida.

“Unlike a lot of franchisors, we didn’t want to sell anything to anyone until we were very confident that we had proven the model and there was significant profit,” said Hertzman. “It had to be something we could be proud of. A lot of franchisors would just sell units and let the franchisee figure it out. We didn’t want to do that.”

And perhaps one of the most important lessons that Hertzman and the team are bringing to CHOP5 is the knowledge that a collaborative environment fosters a stronger franchise brand. 

“We want to partner with franchisees who bring the same work ethic and drive that we bring to our franchises,” Hertzman said. “We have a lot of years of knowledge behind us, so there is no question they can’t ask. Franchisees are not just investors but integral partners in the brand's journey.”

For an initial investment of $356,700 to $873,700, CHOP5 offers franchisees a rare opportunity: join an emerging brand at the ground floor, while still enjoying all the benefits of an established and expert leadership team that has been in the industry for decades. 

For more information, visit: https://1851franchise.com/chop5/info