Growing a Franchise
It can be easy to lose sight of the intangibles and funnel all energy into the numbers. Maintaining a focus on culture and those who create it supports healthy growth.
“Culture” is often treated as a buzzword. Something you paint on a mural. But for real success, it has to be more than that. Culture becomes even more important in franchising, especially as a brand begins to scale.
Replicating the business model in new locations is a feat, but replicating the feeling of the brand and maintaining true culture among franchisees is what turns a local brand into a successful national franchise. Layne’s Chicken Fingers*, the rapidly growing chicken finger franchise, is a prime example of a brand that has successfully protected its culture as it has grown.
Layne’s has leaned into its culture since day one, and that culture has proven to be a key driver of its success. Today, as the brand continues along an explosive growth trajectory, CEO Garrett Reed maintains an emphasis on culture — even working to create it himself on a daily basis.
“Obviously, the culture of an organization is the lifeblood, right?” he said. “It determines how a business runs, and whatever culture is at the top bleeds down all the way down to the people working in the drive-through windows.”
As you grow, you have to stay grounded in what actually works. The leadership team’s idea of culture can’t compare to what unit-level team members actually experience each day. Creating a culture people want to be a part of each day requires including them in building it.
“Culture is built in the breakroom,” Reed said. “Culture is built in cubicles. Culture is built behind the fryers. Culture is built when you're taking trash out to the dumpster."
As your franchise system grows, your teams do, too. They have to be included in this growth — in all ways, not just the ones that directly drive the bottom line.
So much of what shapes culture starts with being connected with your teams and understanding who the people behind the business are. Getting to know them and communicating your interest in them beyond just what they can contribute to the bottom line goes a long way in maintaining the human side of the business.
Reed, for example, embraces this with a true open-door policy.
“I've got a couch in my office and two chairs, and they're just always full,” he said. “And it's just conversations. A shift manager walks in, sees my door’s open, and just comes and sits down in the chair. How many other organizations can you just walk in and the CEO says, 'Hey, what's up? Tell me about what's going on?'”
Maintaining culture at scale requires this type of accessibility. When team members know they’re valued and truly have a voice, they feel empowered to have productive conversations and ultimately are more likely to become invested in the organization and its future. This type of accessibility can turn workers into believers.
The steps that help create a strong culture are one thing, but protecting it as the brand grows is another. As you grow, you cannot lose sight of what makes the brand special. For a culture to truly scale, the business has to be more — to the leadership team and unit-level employees — than a paycheck.
“The business almost has to be like a religion, right? You become like the pastor, teacher or whatever you want to call it,” Reed said. “And people have to believe in you. They have to want to fight for you.”
In many cases, this step comes down to just doing it. There is no replacement for simply believing in the culture and staying dedicated to it yourself. It must be a priority. And when it is, it becomes something people throughout the system are intrinsically motivated to maintain, creating a positive cycle that consistently reinforces and strengthens the culture that defines the brand.
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