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The first thing Fernando Santos noticed about <a href="http://www.togosfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=los-angeles-franchisee-approaches-two-decades-of-success-with-togos-2704570" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Togo&rsquo;s</a> was the crowds. Every day at lunchtime, dozens of customers chatting happily over sandwiches. Santos wasn&rsquo;t just passing by. The Los Angeles County employee was looking for a new business opportunity, and a friend of his had recommended <a href="https://togos.1851franchise.com/info/index.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=los-angeles-franchisee-approaches-two-decades-of-success-with-togos-2704570" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Togo&rsquo;s</a>.&nbsp;

&ldquo;A friend convinced me to take a look at Togo&rsquo;s, and I kept seeing all these customers,&rdquo; Santos said. &ldquo;So I started looking at the numbers, and those made sense, then I started talking with someone at corporate, and they were so accessible and so honest with me. That really sealed the deal. Working with corporate was a great experience.&rdquo;

So in 2000 Santos purchased his first Togo&rsquo;s restaurant. Later that same year, he purchased his second. 17 years later, Santos no longer works for LA County, but he still owns both Togo&rsquo;s locations, one in downtown LA and one on Wilshire Boulevard.

These days, Santos spends most of his time at the downtown Togo&rsquo;s, which is the busier of the two locations.

&ldquo;I usually get to the downtown store around noon, and I&rsquo;ll stay there helping out until about five p.m.,&rdquo; said Santos. &ldquo;That store is in a food court, so it&rsquo;s very busy. There&rsquo;s always a lot of foot-traffic. Right now I have 16 people working lunch shifts to keep up.&rdquo;

The Wilshire location has also been consistently successful over the past 17 years, but Santos said it requires less oversight.

&ldquo;I try to check in at the Wilshire location about twice a week,&rdquo; Santos said. &ldquo;They have a really strong staff, including three or four people that I hired back when we first opened in 2000. My manager, Maria, has been there since we first opened. Everyone knows her and loves her.&rdquo;

Santos attributes his longevity with the brand to his continued passion for the product, which he believes stands up to any other sandwich in the segment.

&ldquo;When I first came on board with Togo&rsquo;s, I was sold on the concept,&rdquo; Santos explained. &ldquo;I tell everyone, &lsquo;if you are going to get involved with any business, you have to have complete faith in the concept.&rsquo; And I&rsquo;m still with Togo&rsquo;s because I still believe in the concept.&rdquo;

That concept, according to Santos, revolves around an equal emphasis on quality and quantity.

&ldquo;Not only are the ingredients the best, they are piled high on every sandwich,&rdquo; Santos said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a man who likes a lot of meat on my sandwich, and Togo&rsquo;s is so much more generous than any other sandwich restaurant. It&rsquo;s the only place I can get a sandwich that really satisfies me.&rdquo;

After so many years with the brand, Santos operates mostly independently. He&rsquo;s even offered his downtown location as a test store for new menu innovations, the most successful of which are adopted by other stores across the system.

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t work with corporate very often these days,&rdquo; Santos said. &ldquo;I know the brand, and I know my customers. And now I&rsquo;ve got a test store, so I can really try to improve the experience for customers, where possible.&rdquo;

Though Santos works mostly without the aid of Togo&rsquo;s corporate team these days, he recommends new franchisees take full advantage of their availability.

&ldquo;New owners should work closely with corporate to learn the system,&rdquo; Santos said. &ldquo;They are there to help you get it right. The process is there and it works, you just have to apply it correctly and you&rsquo;ll be successful.&rdquo;

Now, 17 years after opening his first Togo&rsquo;s stores as a side-job while he worked for the county, Santos has no plans to slow down. He&rsquo;s even working with a realtor to find two new locations in downtown LA for brand new Togo&rsquo;s stores.

&ldquo;I love working with Togo&rsquo;s,&rdquo; Santos said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done great business, and I&rsquo;m excited to keep growing with them.&quot;

Los Angeles Franchisee Approaches Two Decades of Success with Togo's

1851 Franchise

The former Los Angeles civil servant has found a long and lucrative second career with the sandwich brand

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