Replace lions, tigers and bears with beef, poultry and pork in that little ditty from “The Wizard of Oz” and you’ll have a general idea of the trepidation franchises are feeling right now.

Tom Kaiser over at Franchise Times recently spotlighted how a combination of factors, including a drought in California and a bird-flu outbreak in Minnesota, has led to skyrocketing prices for chicken and beef.

Kaiser cited the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal in reporting that Buffalo Wild Wings’ stock decreased 10 percent following news the company had experienced a 41 percent year-over-year rise in poultry prices. Meanwhile, data from Missouri Farmer Today showed per-pound beef prices had broken the latest record set in February, with ground beef now costing $4.20 a pound.

Fortunately, while franchise owners would be forgiven for expecting pork to complete the bad news trifecta, pigs are giving them a reason to smile besides the smell of bacon. Kaiser reported pork prices fell steadily through the first quarter of 2015.

Read the full story here.

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Nick Powills

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Nick Powills

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Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.