Lenny's Subs Experiences Significant Growth

Lenny’s Subs isn’t afraid of change.

Since Jason Vaughn took on the role as the company’s new president and chief operations officer 15 months ago, he’s helped improve company culture and introduced new operational and design changes to help make the brand relevant again. Now, the company’s transformation is paying off—the brand has consistently experienced a strong guest count growth over the past few years.

On the heels of their recent success, the Memphis –based better-tasting sandwich franchise is planning an ambitious development across the South to further expand the Lenny’s Subs experience in Tennessee and Texas—two of the chain’s strongest markets. The brand is gearing up for even more significant growth in the next few years, with plans to open 12 new locations in 2015, 18 in 2016 and 25 in 2017. There are currently 110 locations nationwide.

Lenny’s recent progress is due in part to Vaughn’s decision to rejuvenate the brand.

“There were a lot of right decisions made to get to this point. But you always have to ask yourself how you can make your company even better,” Vaughn said. “Our franchisees and corporate team are eager to embrace new thinking and new ideas.”

As Lenny’s expands, Vaughn is excited to unveil a new design for the next generation of shops, featuring a new color palette and modern details like corrugated metal finishes and faux wood floors.

“When I started at Lenny’s, my first goal was to make our business healthy—this meant defining our victories by how happy our customers and franchisees were, and not on some arbitrary numbers we set as goals,” Vaughn said. “So far, we’re already experiencing strong sales growth. I think when you take care of your company, its culture and its people, you create an environment where people want to—and will—succeed.”