1851

Jessica Wescott took a non-traditional approach to breaking into the franchising industry. In fact, the career move that led to her current role as <a href="http://www.mooyahfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-a-collaborative-approach-to-franchise-operations-helps-jessica-wescott-move-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-forward-12205" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MOOYAH Burgers, Fries &amp; Shakes</a>&rsquo; vice president of development and finance was the result of a friendship formed years before.

Wescott began her career in the wealth management field, where she sat two desks down from <a href="https://mooyah.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-a-collaborative-approach-to-franchise-operations-helps-jessica-wescott-move-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-forward-12205" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MOOYAH</a>&rsquo;s former CFO. After they both moved on to different companies, they kept in touch. Years after her friend took on a role as MOOYAH&rsquo;s CFO, a spot became available on his team. So he reached out to Jessica, and offered her a position as a financial analyst.

From that point on, it was clear that Wescott and MOOYAH were a perfect combination. She rose through the ranks of the brand&rsquo;s financial team, accepting positions as a senior manager, director of finance and most recently her vice president position. But even though Wescott didn&rsquo;t start her career in franchising, she says she&rsquo;s always had an underlying understanding of the benefits the business model boasts.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always had a strong love of franchising, especially given my background in wealth management. There was a lot of overlap between the two industries, so I&rsquo;ve been able to see what goes into making the business model work on the corporate level since the beginning of my career. I think those parallels are what made it incredibly easy for me to transition over to the MOOYAH team,&rdquo; said Wescott. &ldquo;But now that I&rsquo;m working within the industry, I have a front row seat to what franchising brings to the table. The passion that our franchisees have creates a culture that&rsquo;s incredibly difficult to cultivate. That&rsquo;s ultimately what got me hooked on the industry&mdash;we have the ability to help driven entrepreneurs realize their dreams of business ownership.&rdquo;

In order to support MOOYAH&rsquo;s franchisees, Wescott&rsquo;s development and finance teams are constantly working to find new ways to work together with their local partners. Instead of operating as two distinct groups, the brand makes an active effort to consider its operations and projects from a franchisee&rsquo;s point of view. According to Wescott, that&rsquo;s an essential part of realizing success not just as an overall brand, but on the local level as well.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re only able to move forward when our franchisees see us as a support system that they can rely on for guidance. That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re here for as a franchisor&mdash;our goal is to ensure that our local owners are seeing success,&rdquo; said Wescott. &ldquo;Everything that we do on a daily basis is designed to enhance our concept for our franchisees. At the end of the day, they&rsquo;re the ones who are taking the MOOYAH brand to the next level by helping us expand our reach.&rdquo;

To fuel MOOYAH&rsquo;s growth, Wescott wears dual hats on a daily basis. On the financial side of her role, she reviews requests from franchisees and MOOYAH&rsquo;s leadership team in addition to analyzing data to ensure that the brand is achieving its desired results. The finance department also ensures that MOOYAH is operating within the limitations of the economic environment, and performing well within its specific better burger segment.

On the development side of her role, on the other hand, Wescott&rsquo;s day-to-day interactions are more franchisee-facing. Instead of overlooking trends and store information, she talks to local owners about their real estate needs and works with other members of MOOYAH&rsquo;s corporate team to ensure that the brand is targeting the best markets for expansion. Making sure that the brand&rsquo;s footprint is in line with its goals for the months and years ahead is another top priority for Wescott, which involves being forward-thinking in all aspects of her work. And in order to stay focused on the future, Wescott relies on the opinions and expertise of existing franchisees.

&ldquo;The only way that we&rsquo;re going to be successful in the long run is if we&rsquo;re building on a solid foundation. And in order to capitalize on that strong momentum, we have to be true partners with our franchisees. Without their feedback and input on the day-to-day operations taking place at MOOYAH restaurants across the country, we would be amiss,&rdquo; Wescott said.

By continuing to work closely with franchisees on the local level, Wescott is confident that MOOYAH is positioned for long-term growth. Between increasing demand within the better burger segment and the brand&rsquo;s collaborative approach to finance and development, Wescott says that there are some exciting milestones in MOOYAH&rsquo;s future.

&ldquo;Going forward, we&rsquo;re planning to look at franchise development from a different lens or focus. It comes down to making smarter decisions to better set our franchisees up for success, and realizing our potential in a variety of different markets,&rdquo; said Wescott. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re incredibly excited about what lies ahead for MOOYAH&mdash;every member of our team each has their own expertise to offer to the group. Between that dynamic and our close relationship with our franchisees, there&rsquo;s no reason why we won&rsquo;t be seeing huge wins in the near future.&rdquo;

Jessica Wescott MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes

How a Collaborative Approach to Franchise Operations Helps Jessica Wescott Move MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Forward

1851 Franchise

The better burger brand’s vice president of development and finance uses franchisee feedback as fuel for the future.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

how-a-collaborative-approach-to-franchise-operations-helps-jessica-wescott-move-mooyah-burgers-fries-shakes-forward

TruBlue Home Service Ally

TruBlue’s Home Maintenance Plans: Peace of Mind for Homeowners

trublues-home-maintenance-plans-peace-of-mind-for-homeowners

Caring Transitions

Caring Transitions Targets Peoria, Illinois, for Franchise Growth

caring-transitions-targets-peoria-illinois-for-franchise-growth

Caring Transitions Celebrates a Strong Start to 2025 With 19 New Franchise Sales and Momentum-Building Training Events

caring-transitions-celebrates-a-strong-start-to-2025-with-19-new-franchise-sales-and-momentum-building-training-events

Right at Home

Right at Home 30th Anniversary in Home Care with Right at Home Logo

Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence and Future Innovations in Home Care

celebrating-30-years-of-excellence-and-future-innovations-in-home-care

Why TruBlue is the Ideal Franchise for Multi-Unit Owners: Scalable Growth With a Purpose

why-trublue-is-the-ideal-franchise-for-multi-unit-owners-scalable-growth-with-a-purpose

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

DoorDash Expansion Could Reshape Delivery and Operations for Franchise Brands - 1851 Franchise

DoorDash Expansion Could Reshape Delivery and Operations for Franchise Brands

doordash-acquistions-deliveroo-sevenrooms

Crumbl Franchise Investment - TSG Consumer Partners -  1851 Franchise

TSG Consumer Partners Takes Minority Stake in Crumbl, Signaling Franchise Growth Potential

crumbl-franchise-investment-tsg-consumer

Yum Brands Reports Strong Q1 Results with Big Boost from Taco Bell

yum-brands-reports-strong-q1-results-with-big-boost-from-taco-bell

QSR: McDonald’s Gains Momentum With Chicken Innovation, Value Deals and Franchisee Support

mcdonalds-franchise-recovery-chicken-strategy-value-deals-2025

The Future of Franchising: Trends and Predictions for 2025 and Beyond

the-future-of-franchising-trends-and-predictions-for-2025-and-beyond

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: Building Your Brand’s Growth Machine

ultimate-guide-to-selling-franchises

franchise supplier award design with Locate AI logo and 1851 Franchise badge

Franchise Real Estate Services | Locate AI — Emerging Leaders in Franchise Support

locate-ai-emerging-leaders-in-franchise-support

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How to Position Your Value Proposition

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How to Position Your Value Proposition — Point of Differentiation

how-to-position-your-value-proposition-with-a-point-of-differentiation

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How to Clarify Your Positioning – The “Why You/Why Now”

the-ultimate-guide-to-selling-franchises-how-to-clarify-your-positioning-the-why-youwhy-now

Franchisee spotlight image with Randy and Sandy Craft, Children's Lighthouse logo on blue background

The Crafts’ Successful Journey from New Parents to Children’s Lighthouse Franchisees

the-crafts-successful-journey-from-new-parents-to-childrens-lighthouse-franchisees

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Amy Lepke and family and Papa Murphy's logo

After 14 Years as a Stay-At-Home Mom, Amy Lepke Returned to Papa Murphy’s — This Time as an Owner

papa-murphys-franchise-amy-lepke

Franchisee Spotlight with Micki Waters and Papa Murphy's Logo

Work Mom: How Micki Waters Became a Mother Figure to Her Entire Papa Murphy’s Team

work-mom-how-micki-waters-became-a-mother-figure-to-her-entire-papa-murphys-team

District Taco Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

franchise-deep-dive-district-tacos-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

Layoffs Surge to Pandemic-Era Highs, Opening Doors for Franchise Growth

layoffs-surge-to-pandemic-era-highs-opening-doors-for-franchise-growth

Franchisee spotlight image with photo of Robert Trujillo and UWRG logo on blue background

How Robert Trujillo Expanded His Construction Business With UWRG

how-robert-trujillo-expanded-his-construction-business-with-uwrg

How a Collaborative Approach to Franchise Operations Helps Jessica Wescott Move MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Forward

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS