Franchisee Voices: Michelle and Tim McGinnis of Famous Toastery

Michelle and Tim McGinnis met in the midst of their careers. With Tim a reporter and Michelle a business manager at the same news station, they began their life in Savannah. Michelle then went on to work in what she studied, accounting, with Tim moving to a news anchor position.

When moving to the Carolina Forest area, Michelle and Tim found there was a huge lack of breakfast in the community. They debated getting into the restaurant business for a handful of years, and they found the time was finally right. There was a fork in the road and they took it. Michelle and Tim pulled the trigger on the Famous Toastery, changing the breakfast options in the community for the better.

Michelle and Tim first ate in the Famous Toastery in Charlotte and were immediately hooked. They liked the idea of how the franchise had structure, but didn’t feel like a chain.

Outside of work, Michelle and Tim spend their time with their two kids and their extended family, all of whom live in the community. When they are not chasing their children around, they take part of local charities, including the Alzheimer’s foundation, Grand Stream Miracle League, and the Horry County Literacy Council.

1851 caught up with Tim to learn about how the two got involved with the brand.

What was your first job ever? 

I was a waiter and Michelle was a waitress, both at different restaurants. We are both from Savannah, Georgia, where the restaurant business is really big with tourists. We cut our teeth serving the people in Savannah and in the tourist industry. 

Why did you choose to become a franchisee with The Famous Toastery? How did you learn about the brand? 

We did our homework. We knew breakfast was what we wanted to do. We like the hours and how they worked with having a family, because we have two kids in elementary school and we like to be able to spend time with them. There’s some good breakfast around here but not GOOD breakfast. We stumbled around Famous Toasty in Charlotte, and once we ate it, we were hooked.

What were your perceptions of franchising before starting the process? 

We knew franchising was the way we wanted to go. There’s a big misconception with franchising that it doesn’t feel like a mom and pop company. I think it does! They require owners to become operators and live in the community. We don’t know the business, and that’s what we are relying on Famous Toastery for guidance to help us succeed. Our perception was always a bit more open than most--that the corporate team is there for a reason to serve a purpose, and are very much like a local business.