Famous Toastery Stays Focused on Quality

Robert Maynard, CEO and co-founder at Famous Toastery, has his sights set on growth, but he doesn’t want to lose what’s special about the better-breakfast franchise.

The brand is opening a spot in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, soon and is eyeing other areas. Twelve stores are in the process of opening right now and 10 to 15 are on their way. Maynard expects to have 35 to 40 eateries by the end of 2016.

“For a brand that does nothing with advertising, we are doing really well,” Maynard says. “It’s not because people see billboards. They eat there and love us.”

As the brand grows, Maynard intends to keep up the hard work.

“You can’t slack off. If you rest, you lose.”

Part of what makes Toastery special is the vision of its founders, who keep close tabs on the restaurants while also recognizing that franchisees are a big part of the success and need some autonomy.

“We set the tone for the restaurants, but the franchisees should feel as though it’s their own. As we grow, we have more brand standards, but it’s still very unique. If a location has a cool old bar, for instance, we keep it as we renovate,” he says.

Maynard also wants to stay available to Toastery franchisees.

“This is a family,” he declares. “They are buying us, not a franchise. What we do is stay available. They have our cell numbers. Our vision is part of every store. The way to be successful in this business is to stay available.”

Each restaurant space is different and exudes personality; there is nothing cookie cutter about a Toastery. That won’t change, Maynard says.

“We don’t want to look like a Panera or an Olive Garden,” he says. “This doesn’t look like a chain. We use local artwork on the walls. … We make the restaurant work for that location — whether it’s an old house or in a strip mall or a brick building.”

As successes continue to stack up and he looks to the future, Maynard keeps himself focused on one thing: “I want to make my grandfather happy. That is always in my mind.”