Todd Jackson has been around the restaurant industry for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Missouri, his family’s restaurants sparked a passion for hospitality that led him to earn a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Missouri. After spending a decade with Chili’s under Brinker International, Jackson decided to pursue franchising as a way to build something of his own.

In 2006, Jackson became one of the first franchisees of Newk’s Eatery, a fast-casual concept that immediately impressed him with its fresh, high-quality menu and supportive leadership team. Over the years, Jackson, alongside a team of partners, has grown his portfolio to 11 locations across Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. His success is fueled by a focus on strong partnerships, a commitment to his team and a deep belief in the Newk’s brand.

Now, Jackson is looking ahead to continued growth, excited about the opportunities to bring Newk’s signature dining experience to even more communities.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Todd Jackson: I’m originally from Missouri, and my family has been in the restaurant business for generations — starting with my great-grandparents, grandparents and parents. Even some of my cousins are in the industry, so it’s always been a part of my life. When I went to college, I earned a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Missouri. Initially, I intended to go into the hotel side of the business, but when I graduated, I realized that hotel positions paid about $10,000 less than restaurant jobs. That pretty much sealed my decision, and I’ve been in the restaurant industry ever since.

My wife and I met at Mizzou, where she also studied hotel and restaurant management. After graduation, she went to work for Panera, while I joined Chili’s, working for Brinker International. I stayed with Brinker for about 10 years before transitioning to Newk’s.

When Chili’s started going through some changes in the early to mid-2000s, the industry itself was evolving. Around that time, Newk’s had just been founded in 2004. I joined the company in 2006, making us one of the first franchisees — possibly the third or fourth. While leaving Chili’s, I was figuring out my next step when someone suggested I check out the Newk’s concept. Initially, I was skeptical. At the time, Newk’s only had three locations and I was coming from a company with 1,800. But I decided to visit, and from the moment I walked in, I could see its potential.

Everything about Newk’s stood out — the systems and controls were well-structured, the menu was great, the food quality was excellent and it was clearly duplicatable. My wife and I met with one of the founders and an original GM, and it was obvious they knew what they were doing. The founders of Newk’s had also created McAlister’s Deli, which gave them significant industry experience. We were impressed and decided to commit to the brand.

At the time, I had two partners who were looking for an operator. I became the operations person in our group, and we opened our first Newk’s location in Birmingham, Alabama. Simultaneously, one of the same partners opened another location in Cypress, Texas (near Houston). However, that operator didn’t work out, so we merged the companies and have been growing in both areas ever since.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Jackson: I’ll tell you, my initial perception of franchising was that there wasn’t much interaction between the franchisor and the franchisee. I thought the franchisor would do their thing, and the franchisee would do theirs. While there is some of that, I found it to be much more collaborative than I expected.

My wife worked for another company at their corporate office before we got married. When she moved and ended up in a franchise territory, the experience was vastly different. The franchisee for that company was far behind the corporate stores. Processes and practices that she had been doing for one or two years at the corporate level were completely unfamiliar to the franchisees. That experience gave me a somewhat negative impression of franchising, especially since I had been on the company side for so long. It took me some time to overcome that mindset.

What helped us get past it was staying very involved. I’m determined to ensure we’re not out of the loop or left behind. Like anything in life, what you put into it is what you get out of it. By dedicating time and effort to being collaborative with the franchisor, we’ve managed to stay up-to-date and truly be partners in building the brand.

I’ve been on the Franchise Advisory Council for several years, and while we don’t make decisions, we serve as an advisory board. The franchisor does a great job of listening to us, bringing ideas to the table and asking for feedback. Additionally, we operate stores in test markets, so we’re often part of piloting new initiatives.

Looking back, my initial impression of franchising was shaped by both positives and negatives. The clear advantage is the proven product. The stats are staggering — starting a restaurant independently has about a 90% chance of failure and only a 10% chance of success. With a franchise, those odds nearly reverse, which was something I was excited about. As we got deeper into franchising, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a collaborative relationship with the franchisor is not only possible but incredibly beneficial — if you’re willing to put in the effort.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Jackson: I think this ties into what I just mentioned. The leadership — whether it’s the CEO, the chairman of the board or upper management — is a key strength. It’s a relatively small company, so there aren’t a lot of people at the top, but the leaders are genuinely willing to listen and understand what franchisees are experiencing. They operate their own restaurants, ranging from high-volume to low-volume locations, so they share many of the same challenges we face — whether it’s competition from catering giants, labor concerns or other pressures. They feel those same stresses and are open to hearing feedback, which excites me about the future.

Another thing that can’t be overlooked is our food. It truly stands out in the industry. Our service model is closer to full-service dining than fast food, whereas some fast-casual concepts lean more toward fast food. We sit in that sweet spot, offering a level of service that includes delivering food, cleaning up after guests and checking in with them — things typically associated with full-service restaurants. That sets us apart from many competitors.

As I said, our food is exceptional. While every brand might think that, the quality of our ingredients, the freshness of our products and the variety of offerings back it up. From pizzas and salads to soups, we offer something for everyone in a group. That eliminates the veto vote. For instance, if someone in a group doesn’t want chicken fingers or doesn’t like salads, it can rule out certain restaurants. We solve that problem by catering to different preferences and demographics.

What also excites me is our broad appeal. Older people love us, younger people love us and middle-aged people love us. We’re not limited to one demographic — it’s not just men or women, old or young. We fit into everyone’s preferences, which gives us a significant advantage. It’s that universal appeal that helps us succeed.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Jackson: Yes, we are actively looking for new locations. Recently, we expanded our search to include three additional cities in the Mississippi market. We’ve also looked at several locations in Alabama, so our current focus is primarily on the Alabama-Mississippi area. We already have more restaurants in Texas than in Alabama and Mississippi, so we’d like to balance that out. Our plan is to open at least one location next year and another the following year.

We’re also always on the lookout for acquisitions. Our growth to 11 locations has been a mix of building new restaurants and acquiring existing ones. For example, we acquired the Coleman location within the past year, Fort Worth about a year and a half ago, and College Station and Waco around three or four years ago. We enjoy acquisitions just as much as building new locations, and we’re very focused on growth.

Our goal is to add another five units over the next three years. We’re excited about what’s ahead and remain committed to expanding strategically in the right markets.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Jackson: You know, I think there are two key things that make our story stand out. First, my partnership group is fantastic. We get along very well, work together effectively and even socialize together, which is pretty rare. It didn’t start out that way, but over time, we’ve built a strong dynamic that has been crucial to our success. Having great partners makes all the difference in maintaining and growing the business. I’ve had partnerships that didn’t work out, and those “divorces” were anything but fun. The group we have now has been through challenges like COVID, and we came out of it stronger than ever. That resilience is a testament to the strength of our partnership.

The second thing is the incredible tenure among our employees. We opened our first location in 2007, and just yesterday, I celebrated the 17th anniversary with two of our hourly partners who have been with us since day one. And that’s just the beginning — across our 11 locations, we have general managers with tenures of 14 years, 12 years and so on. Our least-tenured GM has been with us for two years, while our longest-tenured has been here for about 15 years.

This long-term commitment from our team is, I believe, the foundation of our success. The relationships they’ve built — with us and with their own hourly team members — are invaluable. When you have people who’ve been with you for 17 years, it speaks volumes about the culture and stability we’ve created. That’s what I think is the best thing about our story.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Jackson: I think the advice I’d give is to really understand what you’re getting into when it comes to the restaurant business. It’s not easy and it’s not a high-margin industry. Success comes from doing things correctly, day in and day out. A lot of people who are new to franchising walk into a restaurant, see a line of customers and assume the owners must be making money hand-over-fist. That’s not the reality.

It’s critical to know what you’re getting into. Do your due diligence. Understand the brand and make sure it aligns with who you are and what you believe in. If you don’t believe in the brand, you can’t change it to fit your vision. You need to buy into what the brand is, not try to mold it into something it’s not.

Those are the two biggest pieces of advice I’d give: know what you’re doing and make sure the brand is the right fit. Over the years, we’ve explored other concepts and gotten very close with a couple, but they didn’t align with us. While we loved the food, the locations and other aspects, the upper leadership didn’t match our values or vision. It wasn’t going to work, so we walked away.

The bottom line is to make sure you’re a good fit with the brand and its leadership. That alignment is crucial for long-term success.

About Newk’s Eatery

Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Newk’s Eatery is a fast-casual chain that operates and franchises just under 100 units in 12 states. Founded in 2004 and named after Co-Founder Chris “Newk” Newcomb, Newk’s offers salads, sandwiches, soups and pizzas, all made in-house without fryers or microwaves. Fresh grab-and-go options are also available, and Newk’s new mobile app, now available on Google Play and the App Store, offers mobile ordering for curbside, in-store pickup or delivery. In 2020, Newk’s ranked in Nation’s Restaurant News’ “Top 200 Countdown” and Restaurant Business’ Top 250 Chains. Newk’s has also been selected as a Top Food Franchise by Entrepreneur. In 2021, Newk’s was recognized in Nation’s Restaurant News as a “Top Scorer in Takeout Food Quality” and ranked among the highest “True Loyalty” scores – the percentages of respondents who said they visit because of a real desire to experience the brand, as opposed to convenience. For more information, visit Newks.com, join Newk’s Rewards or follow Newk’s on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. For franchise information, visit https://newks.com/franchise/.