Franchisee Success: Checkers

Entering the franchise industry wasn’t John Dallis’s childhood aspiration, but that doesn’t make his career with Checkers*/Rally’s any less of a dream come true.

Dallis began his career in the QSR industry working at McDonalds in Detroit, Mich., while working his way towards pursuing his dreams of becoming a musician. Eventually, he worked his way up the ranks until becoming director of operations. Dallis’s passion for the franchise industry only grew with time and worked at the operations level with Church’s Chicken, Popeye’s and Burger King all across the country. No place rivaled the hominess of Atlanta, Ga., for the ambitious Dallis, though.

Initially planning to move to Atlanta to open a restaurant of his own, the economic downturn of 2005 resulted in a professional detour for Dallis. After assisting a former colleague in opening a handful of restaurants in the area, Dallis decided that he could apply his 20-plus years of experience in the restaurant industry and management skills to new endeavors. Franchising turned out to be the perfect fit for the passionate industry vet.

When it came down Dallis choosing the company to spur his inaugural franchise endeavor, Checkers/Rally's immediately sprung to mind. From the brand’s iconic branding to its dedicated staff and classics-done-best concept, Checkers/Rally's was the timeless restaurant model that Dallis had been searching for.

“I found out about Checkers about five years ago because I was eating there so often,” Dallis said. “Anytime I was craving a great, bulky burger I went to Checkers. A lot of companies try to change their image based on trends but I think Checkers has stood their ground.”

Admiring Checkers/Rally's commitment to its all-American image and food quality, Dallis knew that the Tampa, Fla.-based brand represented all that he loved about the restaurant industry. Dallis’s units are now in stages of development, and he couldn’t be more thrilled to translate his skills to the Checkers/Rallys floor.

“I think the people skills I have are definitely going to be a benefit,” he said. “I have the ability to take care of customers, which to me includes employees and external customers. I want to build a team because the skills that we learn together are vital to running a successful organization.”

While Checkers/Rally's is a resoundingly successful concept now, Dallis sees an even more prosperous future on the horizon.

“Checkers has re-positioned itself and sales are steadily increasing,” Dallis said. “I also think over the next few years they’re really going to continue to dominate the space and the late-night market through revamping their image.”

Now that Dallis has successfully rewritten his own professional narrative, he’s ready to put pen to paper for his new brand.

“I want to be a part of the growth and I want to be part of the story that they’re re-writing,” he said.