For the Bergesons, franchising runs in the family. It all started back in 1999, when Randy Bergeson got a call from a local Wisconsin Subway owner asking him to buy his franchise. He jumped at the chance to own his own restaurant—Randy had already built up years of experience in the industry, as his family owned an Italian restaurant when he was growing up.

Over the next few years, Randy grew with Subway. He opened up a few more locations while continuing the tradition of raising his sons, Josh and Lucas, in the restaurant industry. But after they both graduated college and decided to fully take on franchising as a family, they moved in a new direction with MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes.

“We wanted the opportunity to work with a brand we could develop and own, and MOOYAH was the perfect fit,” said Randy. “We loved the product and MOOYAH’s family friendly environment, and we knew that as soon as we introduced the brand to our community it would be a hit.”

The Bergesons were right—they’ve seen incredible success with MOOYAH. The family runs two locations in the Madison, Wisconsin area, and they even won MOOYAH’s “Rookie of the Year” award. The family says their success is partially due to MOOYAH’s proven concept and strong network of corporate employees.

“MOOYAH really stands out to us in the franchising industry because of how accessible and approachable everyone is,” said Josh. “The door is always wide open for us to brainstorm new ways to move forward with the corporate team. They’ve built a solid foundation that we can fall back on if we ever need help, the same way we rely on one another as a family to take our business to the next level.”

That strong network has enabled the brand to position itself as a leader in the franchising industry. MOOYAH was recently named one of the top five fastest-growing limited service restaurants in the highly competitive burger category in the 2016 Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, which ranks chains that report both impressive sales and system-wide growth. In 2015, MOOYAH saw an increase in sales of 31.4 percent from the year before, with its number of open units jumping 27.7 percent.

As MOOYAH continues to build on that momentum, franchisees like the Bergesons will be able to bring the brand to new communities across the country. While there are no concrete plans in the works, the Bergesons say they want to expand their business and eventually intend to open more units down the line.

“We grew up in a small town where everybody knew and helped their neighbors. That same attitude is what we bring to our MOOYAH franchises,” said Lucas. “We want people to feel at home when they walk into one of our restaurants. At the end of the day, happy guests mean happy employees and a bigger bottom line.”

MOOYAH is set to cross the 100-unit mark in the U.S. this year. The brand also has 18 international locations in nine different countries.

“We have guests coming in and telling us that our burgers are the best they’ve ever had. That’s how we know we’re doing something right, and that’s what drives us to keep growing with MOOYAH in the years to come,” said Randy.

To learn more about franchising with MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, click here.