Franchise Development Leaders: Multi-Unit, Multi-Brand Franchisees Paul and Jay Patel

For the first time, Slim Chickens will be coming to the great state of New Jersey. Two local brothers, Paul and Jay Patel, have signed a license to bring 15 Slim Chickens locations to the New Jersey counties of Morris, Union and Somerset. Jersey Boys has been in business for the last 30 years, operating retail, wholesale, food, hotel and restaurant businesses and franchises throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Dunkin’, Checkers*, and a couple of delis.

1851: Tell us a little bit about your background.

Jersey Boys, LLC: We’ve been in the franchise business for 30 years now. It’s nothing new to us. Franchising is very unique because people recognize the brand and it gives you an opportunity to expand your business faster. 

As brothers, we’re both on the same page, so it’s smooth sailing. We have been business partners together for at least 25 years. There’s never any conflict. We have our separate duties. Paul heads up operations, and Jay works more on the accounting side. Finding the right employees is a key factor. You need to be involved with them. You have to put your people first.

1851: Why did you choose to become a franchisee with Slim Chickens? How did you learn about the brand?

Jersey Boys, LLC: We were looking into a few different different businesses. We have some other ventures already, with around 10 businesses active right now. We’ve done retail, wholesale, food and hotels, but we wanted something that wasn’t already in the market so we could develop it and be exclusive, and Slim Chickens offered that. We are going to grow the brand across New Jersey and it's going to be phenomenal.

1851: Why is the New Jersey market a good market for your new franchise? 

Jersey Boys, LLC: New Jersey has KFC, Popeyes and only a few Chick-fil-A locations—but this is a really unique product that is not comparable to those. The menu and food are different. There’s a market for this welcoming atmosphere—from the time you walk in to the customer service to the culture. Plus, the food is just phenomenal. 

We’re very centralized to the three counties where we're developing. These are very densely populated areas, and we think the market will be really receptive. 

1851: Do you provide any interesting services, work with any other local businesses, charitable organizations, or prominent individuals in the community?

Jersey Boys, LLC: We work with police and fire departments and plan to continue that with Slim Chickens. Each local department is a bit different, so we volunteer our time and services, donate food, help raise money and provide any other support we can that they need. 

1851: What’s next for you and your business? Do you have any development or expansion plans with the brand? 

Jersey Boys, LLC: We have a bunch of locations we’re working on right now and will prioritize opening those locations sooner rather than later. We’d like to get one opened by the end of this year. Then hopefully we can open two to three locations per year after that.

1851: Is there anything else that might be interesting about you, your business, or any of your team members you'd like to share?

Jersey Boys, LLC: We don’t have any time for hobbies. We work 24/7, and just spend time with the family when we can.