Chuck and Stacy White opened their first Famous Toastery in Mooresville, North Carolina two years back, and now, they’re expanding to open a second location early next year.
Before investing in the better breakfast concept, the Whites were both educators, teaching for nearly three decades at nearby grade schools. During this time, Stacy waitressed to supplement her teaching salary, taking a side job as a waitress at a Famous Toastery, where she learned the ins and outs of the restaurant industry. Working at the breakfast franchise soon became a family affair as Chuck and Stacy’s children and son-in-law got jobs at the growing brand.
Looking toward retirement, the couple hoped to shift out of their busy teaching careers and pursue a new venture; naturally, the breakfast and lunch franchise felt like a perfect fit. It offered a shortened schedule of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day and an opportunity within the booming better-breakfast segment.
“When we opened our first Famous Toastery in Mooresville, we were fortunate enough to have experienced family members join our location right off the bat. My son-in-law came in as the kitchen manager and our daughter and son both transferred over to help manage day-to-day operations,” said Stacy White.
Despite the helping hands, the couple faced a steep learning curve when it came to marketing, customer service and how to grow their business. That’s where Brian Burchill, COO and founder of Famous Toastery, stepped in with support and feedback.
“Chuck had never worked in a restaurant before, so Brian answered all of his questions and helped him to understand all of the different roles a franchisee plays,” said Stacy White. “I feel like the corporate team is easily accessible and does a great job helping to understand all of the moving parts in a business; it really set us up for success.”
Famous Toastery was founded by Brian Burchill and Robert Maynard in 2005 because the two saw a market for a homestyle, family-friendly breakfast concept focused on quality and customer service above all. As the full-service franchise continues to expand outward from North Carolina - with new locations in Colorado and Pennsylvania - fostering a family mentality within its franchise system is central to its core values.
“We stay at new locations for about two and a half weeks to help franchisees get fully setup and provide constant support during the first few months in business,” says Famous Toastery CEO and Founder Robert Maynard. “After that, we make an effort to be fully transparent in communication through system wide emails and newsletters informing franchisees of what’s going on at the corporate level, what’s working, what’s not, and how they can benefit from the knowledge across the entire system.”
Find out more about franchise opportunities with Famous Toastery here: http://www.famoustoastery.com/franchise/