Wings, Rings and Rock ‘n’ Roll

People aren’t just born working in the franchise industry (unless, of course, you’re the child of Dave Thomas, but stick with me here).

Dan Doulen, director of franchise development at Buffalo Wings & Rings, got his start as a vendor selling products to restaurants. Buffalo Wings & Rings was one of his customers, and his excellent service caught the eye of the brand’s upper management.

“I was taking pretty good care of them and I saw they were growing and one of the owners at that time, we had a really good relationship,” Doulen said. “He was looking for someone to come in to take over franchise sales. Even though I didn’t have experience, he liked the way that I handled my business for them and told me he felt like I would be the type of person to represent the brand well.”

From there, Doulen hit the ground running to learn the ins and outs of the industry.

In his current role, he follows up on leads for people who are interested in becoming Buffalo Wings & Rings franchisees. Besides being located in a target market and having restaurant experience, Doulen said the brand is on the hunt for people who understand how Buffalo Wings & Rings is setting itself apart from competition in its particular segment.

“The wing segment is competitive, but we focus on the quality of the atmosphere,” Doulen said. “It’s not the average man-cave experience you get from the competition. It’s the kind of place where you can catch the game but feel comfortable bringing your family, not a dark sports bar.”

As Doulen tells it, visiting a Buffalo Wings & Rings is sort of like going to catch a game at a stadium but being able to enjoy it from the club level instead of being stuck in the stands.

“You get the same sports experience but without somebody screaming behind you or spilling beer on you,” Doulen said. In short, the sports bar experience but with better food and a superior environment – something many sports fans may agree has been sorely missing from the segment.

Besides the atmosphere, Doulen also highlighted how Buffalo Wings & Rings focuses on the food itself. Freshness is the name of the game, whether it’s the restaurants’ fresh blue cheese made in-house daily to accompany the brand’s famous wings or salads, wraps and burgers.

It’s these distinctions that have helped Buffalo Wings & Rings impressively expand its reach in recent months.

“We signed 16 new agreements [in 2014] - the brand has 45 locations in the U.S. and 15 overseas,” Doulen said. Of the 16 signed agreements, eight were signed by existing franchisees and eight were signed by new franchisees.

Doulen went on to say the brand currently plans to open up to seven more stores in 2015, as well as between 10 and 12 in 2016. These locations will be opening throughout the Midwest, Texas and Florida, among other locations.

But it’s not all business for Doulen, who finds the best franchisee candidates during the day and supplies guitar and vocals to the Cincinnati-based acoustic band Watershed at night.

“[Working with Buffalo Wings & Rings] is a fun job and a very rewarding job – but it can be nice to take a break from the day to day,” Doulen said. “We practice once a week, then we typically play on the weekends.”

Doulen said that playing music and being part of a group has given him skills that carry over into his work with franchisees.

“The band has probably helped me become even more comfortable when I’m presenting in front of a group of people,” he said.

Meanwhile, the band has also reminded Doulen of the important of preparation.

“We know these songs ,and we know our set list, but continual practice makes us better at what we do,” he said. “I think even though you can do something very well, I think the best people in their field continue to train, continue to try to learn new things, and it’s one of the reasons [Buffalo Wings & Rings] continues to attend the franchise conferences and push itself, because we want to continue to learn and get better, just like when I practice with the band.”