Daniel Beck was looking at a failing cupcake shop in Annapolis, Maryland, when he started thinking about how he could turn the small space into something he knew from experience could succeed: a seafood restaurant. The shop lacked a hooded ventilation system and much cooking capacity. So Beck built the menu around what the kitchen could handle, with pre-cooked lobster and rolls assembled to order.
Nine years later, that little shop has grown into Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls, a 43-unit franchise system. Now Beck is looking for franchisees who can develop multiple locations.
"We're driving that up, at least with the new stores we bring on," Beck said of average unit volumes across the system. "That means bringing on more qualified candidates, ones who are more liquid, and being more discerning about site selection."
Beck spent more than 20 years in the restaurant and seafood industries before Mason's existed, including owning several full-service restaurants on North Carolina's Outer Banks and wholesaling seafood to restaurants in the Washington, D.C. market. When he took over a failing cupcake shop on Main Street in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2014, the space came with no hooded ventilation and only an undercounter grease trap. Beck wrote a menu to fit what the kitchen could actually do.
"I had a background in full-service restaurants, making stuff from scratch and everything, but in this particular location there was only limited cooking ability," Beck said. “It probably turned out to be a positive thing, because we were able to keep replicating that, cheap and easy.”
That constraint became the operating model. Mason's lobster arrives pre-cooked, so restaurants assemble the product rather than cooking lobster from scratch. That eliminates the need for deep fryers and grease hoods and simplifies the kitchen compared with many traditional fast-casual restaurants.
A second location in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, followed in 2016, and franchising began soon after. The brand has since expanded to 43 locations, including 36 brick-and-mortar stores and two food trucks across 15 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and five in Italy and the United Kingdom.
Beck's seafood background also influences how Mason's sources lobster. His relationships with Maine lobstermen give the company a direct connection to its primary seafood supplier.
"Our franchises pay a lot less for lobster, which is the key metric in this business," Beck said.
The no-cook kitchen also lets Mason's operate with a relatively small footprint. According to the FDD, a typical restaurant ranges from 800 to 1,500 square feet. The brand has used that model in locations ranging from downtown districts to tourist markets. No culinary background is required, and franchisees complete a 10-day training program before opening.
"I think we're really good at operations, and that has a lot to do with my background and some of the team I've hired," Beck said.
Mason's has also expanded into Milan, Florence, Venice and London. Beck said the brand's focus for new development remains on domestic markets where it can continue to build out the system. The company typically signs commitments for 10 new units a year and usually lands 6 to 8, with a stated goal of accelerating that pace to 15.
Rather than chasing every single-unit lead, Beck is now prioritizing candidates who can commit to three or more locations.
"We would still take a single unit from a qualified operator," Beck said, "but the target now is franchisees who can develop three stores."
Mason's is looking for operators with enough capital to develop multiple locations and the discipline to manage a growing business.
"We would take a single unit with a qualified operator," Beck said, “but what we're really looking for now are multi-unit franchisees who bring the capital and the discipline to grow with us.”
Total initial investment for a single Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls restaurant ranges from $250,050 to $655,050, according to the brand's FDD, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee. Franchisees who sign a Multi-Unit Development Agreement pay a $15,000 development fee for each additional restaurant beyond the first, bringing total investment for that combination to $265,050 to $790,050.
Ongoing fees include a 5% royalty on gross sales, a Brand Development Fund fee currently set at 1% of gross sales (with room to rise to 2%), and a local marketing obligation currently at 1% of gross sales (also capped at 2%).
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit: https://1851franchise.com/masons-famous-lobster-rolls
Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls
SPONSORED
With unit volumes rising and no-cook assembly kitchens, Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls is prioritizing experienced franchisees to build multiple locations.
Daniel Beck was looking at a failing cupcake shop in Annapolis, Maryland, when he started thinking about how he could turn the small space into something he knew from experience could succeed: a seafood restaurant. The shop lacked a hooded ventilation system and much cooking capacity. So Beck built the menu around what the kitchen could handle, with pre-cooked lobster and rolls assembled to order.
Nine years later, that little shop has grown into Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls, a 43-unit franchise system. Now Beck is looking for franchisees who can develop multiple locations.
"We're driving that up, at least with the new stores we bring on," Beck said of average unit volumes across the system. "That means bringing on more qualified candidates, ones who are more liquid, and being more discerning about site selection."
Beck spent more than 20 years in the restaurant and seafood industries before Mason's existed, including owning several full-service restaurants on North Carolina's Outer Banks and wholesaling seafood to restaurants in the Washington, D.C. market. When he took over a failing cupcake shop on Main Street in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2014, the space came with no hooded ventilation and only an undercounter grease trap. Beck wrote a menu to fit what the kitchen could actually do.
"I had a background in full-service restaurants, making stuff from scratch and everything, but in this particular location there was only limited cooking ability," Beck said. “It probably turned out to be a positive thing, because we were able to keep replicating that, cheap and easy.”
That constraint became the operating model. Mason's lobster arrives pre-cooked, so restaurants assemble the product rather than cooking lobster from scratch. That eliminates the need for deep fryers and grease hoods and simplifies the kitchen compared with many traditional fast-casual restaurants.
A second location in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, followed in 2016, and franchising began soon after. The brand has since expanded to 43 locations, including 36 brick-and-mortar stores and two food trucks across 15 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and five in Italy and the United Kingdom.
Beck's seafood background also influences how Mason's sources lobster. His relationships with Maine lobstermen give the company a direct connection to its primary seafood supplier.
"Our franchises pay a lot less for lobster, which is the key metric in this business," Beck said.
The no-cook kitchen also lets Mason's operate with a relatively small footprint. According to the FDD, a typical restaurant ranges from 800 to 1,500 square feet. The brand has used that model in locations ranging from downtown districts to tourist markets. No culinary background is required, and franchisees complete a 10-day training program before opening.
"I think we're really good at operations, and that has a lot to do with my background and some of the team I've hired," Beck said.
Mason's has also expanded into Milan, Florence, Venice and London. Beck said the brand's focus for new development remains on domestic markets where it can continue to build out the system. The company typically signs commitments for 10 new units a year and usually lands 6 to 8, with a stated goal of accelerating that pace to 15.
Rather than chasing every single-unit lead, Beck is now prioritizing candidates who can commit to three or more locations.
"We would still take a single unit from a qualified operator," Beck said, "but the target now is franchisees who can develop three stores."
Mason's is looking for operators with enough capital to develop multiple locations and the discipline to manage a growing business.
"We would take a single unit with a qualified operator," Beck said, “but what we're really looking for now are multi-unit franchisees who bring the capital and the discipline to grow with us.”
Total initial investment for a single Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls restaurant ranges from $250,050 to $655,050, according to the brand's FDD, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee. Franchisees who sign a Multi-Unit Development Agreement pay a $15,000 development fee for each additional restaurant beyond the first, bringing total investment for that combination to $265,050 to $790,050.
Ongoing fees include a 5% royalty on gross sales, a Brand Development Fund fee currently set at 1% of gross sales (with room to rise to 2%), and a local marketing obligation currently at 1% of gross sales (also capped at 2%).
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit: https://1851franchise.com/masons-famous-lobster-rolls
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