BIGGBY® COFFEE Super Fan Brings Brand Enthusiasm to Buena Vista, Idaho, With New Franchise

Dianna Hilgendorf has had a varied career path with experience in accounting, finance, construction and running her own cleaning business. 

Most recently, she has been working alongside her husband in construction, but the pair were starting to feel like it was time for a new adventure. Owning a BIGGBY® COFFEE franchise, however, did not immediately cross Hilgendorf’s mind, even though she has been a BIGGBY® fan for years. When she worked as a financial advisor, her colleagues all drank Starbucks coffee while she drank BIGGBY® and advocated for the brand.

“I kept insisting I had the best cup of coffee,” she said. “I converted over half of the office before I left.”

The spark of inspiration that she could become a franchisee with her favorite brand only came when she noticed an empty lot in her community that would later house her BIGGBY® location.

"I kept saying that something needs to go there; it just looks terrible. It's empty. All of a sudden, it dawned on me that it would be a great location for a BIGGBY®," she said.

Hilgendorf is looking forward to bringing a brand with caring values and a priority on treating people well to her community and hopes to grow her BIGGBY® COFFEE franchise empire in the years to come.

1851 Franchise spoke with Hilgendorf about her journey into franchising and her plans for the future.

FEATURE QUESTIONS

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Hilgendorf: I have a bachelor’s in accounting from Baker’s college here in Michigan. I worked for Baker college for a number of years and then went out on an adventure with my husband being self-employed; he was in construction, so I joined him for a large number of years. I also ran a cleaning business for a number of years.

I always loved BIGGBY®. When I was a financial advisor, I worked in the Metro Detroit area and there was a BIGGBY® nearby as well as a Starbucks, and everyone in our office would go to Starbucks and I would walk in with my BIGGBY® coffee and they would laugh at me. I kept insisting I had the best cup of coffee. I converted over half of the office before I left.

One day we were driving past the place where our BIGGBY® location is right now. and I saw a vacant lot. I kept saying that something needs to go there;  it just looks terrible. It's empty. All of a sudden it dawned on me that it would be a great location for a BIGGBY®.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Hilgendorf: I have looked at franchises in the past. When I dug into the documents, I could decipher them quite clearly. I read the BIGGBY® franchise agreement and I was impressed.

It was the first one I read where I felt that the brand was vested in the owners’ success with the brand. Sometimes you read these documents and you wonder how the franchisees are surviving. Many of them don’t with other brands for that reason. BIGGBY® has a different mentality; hats off to the owners of the brand.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Hilgendorf: Right now, I am most excited about getting open. I am not jumping the hurdles, I am knocking them open. 

There are a few things I like about the values; first and foremost they want to make sure the customer is happy. That is a lost art these days. BIGGBY® wants to serve a great drink, coffee or another refreshment, but they also encourage BIGGBY® owners to treat the employees really well. That impressed me. We are employing people who are new to the workforce, and we are encouraged to treat these young people well. I think that’s something that will be passed on. 

If these young people are treated poorly and become managers some day, they might pass that on. With BIGGBY®, we are helping young people to learn how to treat colleagues well and to help them prepare for their future.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Hilgendorf: I've learned a lot already and I would say that going with a franchise was worth it for that reason. I’m excited to get my first location up and running, but I already think my second location will be better than the first and I hope to have 10 of them in the future, or maybe even 20! Who knows?

Right now, we’re plowing through every hurdle, not just jumping over them. I can’t wait to get it open.  

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Hilgendorf: As a person, I try to stay positive and work through challenges. That’s always my goal. Nothing in this world always goes to plan, so it can be hard to stay positive but you try to self-correct.

My granddaughter gave me a sign that says, “When life gives you dumpster fires, roast marshmallows.” She bought it for me because she knows that’s my mentality! The wind blows every direction and when the wind is blowing from the bittercold north, you have to plow through that. That can help you reflect and make you realize you need to change directions.

You will not always be accepted by everybody or every place, because there is a place for you to land and if you’re not in the place. So when the door shuts, let it shut, when it opens, go through. Don’t force yourself into something that doesn’t belong to you. Find your place in the world; everyone has a place.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Hilgendorf: In comparison to other franchises I’ve investigated in the past, BIGGBY® is a great option. Everyone has to make their choice, but I would recommend BIGGBY® to someone who wants to start a new adventure because the support is there, the heart is there with the brand and they have some pretty awesome goals. I’ve met a lot of owners and it’s a community of great people.

About The BIGGBY® COFFEE Franchise

BIGGBY® COFFEE, based in East Lansing, Mich., was started with a single store on March 15, 1995. One year later, and on the cusp of opening a second location, Bob Fish and Michael McFall, on a handshake and $4,000, decided to franchise the concept. The brand’s cultural values of Make Friends, Have Fun, B Yourself and Share Great Coffee help coffee lovers and the coffee-curious alike benefit from a less pretentious and fun approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm. Besides connoisseur-worthy drinks with names like Teddy Bear® and Caramel Marvel®, BIGGBY® COFFEE baristas provide a unique experience focused on brightening their customers’ day and supporting them in building a life they love. The “Big ‘B’” on the orange background caught on, and today BIGGBY® COFFEE has 379 cafes across many states, including Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida.