Robert Maynard, co-founder and CEO of Famous Toastery, has the kind of problem most franchises would kill for: Too many individuals clamoring to act as brand ambassadors across America.
“Selling franchises is easy, but selling to the right people is difficult,” Maynard said. “We’ve said no to more people than we’ve said yes to. We look at it like an award. We’re not reliant on just anyone opening up stores.”
It’s easy to see why so many people would be ready and willing to get involved with the Famous Toastery brand. First, unlike other restaurant concepts, breakfast broadcasts reliability. There’s always room for menu innovation, but the basics – eggs, bacon and yes, toast – comprise the types of foods customers are comfortable eating on a daily basis.
Secondly, Famous Toastery has taken franchise support to a whole new level.
“We’re there for support,” Maynard said. “We’re in their negotiating leases with them, choosing sites for the store. We care about what’s best for the brand and our franchisees.”
As Maynard explained it, if a franchisee is paying a fee, they should feel entitled to this kind of assistance.
“Franchisees should be demanding services like that,” he continued. “So we’re involved from day one, we get involved with site selection, leases, brokers. We fly there. We go there. You’re paying for something, you should get what you pay for. We don’t want people signing bad locations or bad leases – we want to ensure everything’s profitable.”
In short, the Famous Toastery team takes pride in making sure each new franchisee receives personal attention and training.
Of course, the profitability a Famous Toastery franchise can offer is dependent on the business owner’s ability to follow the brand’s blueprint.
“If people want to do their own concept or think they can do it better, they shouldn’t be a franchisee,” Maynard said.
However, men and women who can follow the game plan will find the Famous Toastery franchise system has been designed to maximize profitability for franchisees. This goes beyond the brand’s appeal to diners of every palette, or the fact that a day-time only restaurant tends to create higher demand.
Ultimately, it goes back to the brand’s focus on giving franchisees what they’ve paid for. As Maynard and his team see it, if someone is willing to buy into the concept and become part of the Famous Toastery family, ensuring their enterprise is a success is the least the brand can do.