As Newk’s Eatery prepares for its next phase of franchise growth, the brand is being selective about who grows alongside it. Restaurant experience and financial qualifications matter, but leadership believes a successful franchise relationship starts with something you can’t measure on a balance sheet: shared values.

Newk’s wants franchisees who care about their communities, believe in hospitality and are willing to become active stewards of the brand in their local markets. That philosophy has helped shape a franchise system where many operators have remained with Newk’s for years and continued investing in additional restaurants.

“What we look for really is a cultural fit,” said Chris Cheek, chief development officer of Newk’s Eatery. “Some level of restaurant experience is important, but even more than that is someone who’s comfortable taking a new brand to a market and driving awareness. Not just with customers but with landlords and the community.”

Choosing Franchisees Who Share the Brand’s Values

Newk’s was founded in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2004 around scratch-made food, open kitchens and Southern hospitality. More than two decades later, those qualities still shape not only the guest experience but also the type of franchise owners the brand wants representing it.

Cheek has said two of Newk's most important decisions are choosing who receives franchise rights and approving the sites where they will operate. The company is looking beyond whether a candidate can fund a restaurant.

“That franchisee has to have the local tie, the hospitality DNA, the desire to make a return on investment, but they also have to have the passion for people, hospitality and their local community,” Cheek said.

That distinction matters especially for a brand still building awareness in new markets. Newk’s wants franchisees who are prepared to introduce the concept locally rather than wait for national advertising to bring customers through the door.

“We’re a 100-unit brand, yet still an emerging brand,” Cheek said. “You have to have a fire in the belly as a new franchisee to take an emerging brand into markets and put the business on your back and grow it.”

Hospitality Starts With People

The same philosophy Newk’s applies to franchisee selection extends to hiring inside its restaurants. The brand can train employees to prepare its sandwiches, salads, soups and pizzas, but Cheek believes genuine hospitality is much harder to teach.

“You hire for hospitality,” Cheek said. “It’s very hard to teach hospitality if you’re not hiring for that skill set. Ultimately, you want people to leave your restaurant feeling better than when they walked in. That’s not just what they taste. The restaurant touches all of your senses.”

That hospitality has helped Newk’s restaurants become neighborhood gathering places. Guests often become regulars, and franchisees can build relationships that extend beyond individual transactions.

“Our guests are our biggest fans,” said Todd Jackson, a Newk’s multi-unit operator across Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. “You see the same people all the time. And that’s because they genuinely enjoy being here.”

Newk’s also carries its community focus beyond the restaurants through Newk’s Cares. The initiative was founded in 2014 by Lori Newcomb, wife of Newk’s founder and Executive Chairman Chris Newcomb, following her ovarian cancer diagnosis. Newk’s Cares has since raised $2.5 million for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance while working to increase awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms and the importance of earlier diagnosis.

Franchise Relationships Built for the Long Term

Newk’s emphasis on cultural alignment matters because franchise agreements can create relationships that last decades. Jackson, who joined Newk’s in 2006 when the company had only a handful of restaurants, has grown to 12 locations across Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. For Jackson, choosing the right franchisees protects more than an individual restaurant. Each operator contributes to the system's reputation and strength.

“Franchising is a marriage,” Jackson said. “You have to share values. Life’s too short to work with people you don’t want to deal with. We don’t need someone who just has money. We need somebody who’s going to protect their restaurant just as much as I protect mine. Because that’s better for all of us.”

Newk’s also wants franchisees who are comfortable contributing to the conversation. Cheek sees experienced operators as a source of ideas and believes productive franchise relationships should include questions and constructive feedback.

“Good ideas come from our franchise partners,” Cheek said. “We recognize that. And we want people who will challenge us, ask good questions and help us get better.”

Creating a Culture Franchisees Want to Keep Investing In

That relationship shows in the franchisees who have continued growing with Newk’s. For example, Skip Russell has grown to four locations and is developing another restaurant in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Russell, who previously owned 13 Popeyes restaurants, said he's continuing to expand with Newk’s because he's confident in both the concept and the people behind it.

“I doubled the size of my company because I believe in the brand,” Russell said. “I believe in what it stands for, I believe in the leadership of the company, and I want to keep growing.”

Newk’s supports those relationships from the operator’s side of the table. The company operates nearly 30 of its own restaurants, giving leadership firsthand experience with the same labor, food cost, real estate and operational pressures its franchisees face. That experience also gives the company a better understanding of what operators need as they run and grow their restaurants.

As Newk’s expands into new markets, maintaining that culture will remain central to its growth strategy. The company wants to add restaurants, but leadership believes who opens those restaurants matters just as much as how many open.

“My charter now is to grow our franchise community and open stores with the best franchisees we can find,” Cheek said. “That starts with our existing great operators. But it also means bringing in new operators who help elevate the value of the brand through market share growth.”

For Newk’s, finding those operators starts with ensuring they have the capital to succeed, but it doesn’t end there. The franchisees who fit the system are the ones who believe in the food, take hospitality seriously and want their restaurant to become part of the community. Those qualities are harder to quantify than financial qualifications, but Newk’s believes they will protect its culture as the brand grows.

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/newks-eatery.