How This Franchisee of 35 years Is Building a Family Legacy Through Papa Murphy’s

Tom Lovelace started his restaurant career at 14 where he learned how to manage people, follow systems and build consistent operations. When he opened his first Papa Murphy’s take ‘n’ bake pizza franchise in Vancouver, Washington, in 1990, he took those lessons with him. What began with a few stores slowly grew into more than 90 locations across the country..

Lovelace says his work ethic comes from his father, a pastor who taught him to show up, stay humble and do things the right way. Those same values shaped how he runs his business and how he raised his kids, who now help manage stores and carry on the family approach to leadership.

He’s starting to think about the next chapter. Lovelace wants to pass the business on to his children without debt and in strong shape, so the family can continue what he started decades ago — one pizza at a time.

Lovelace recently sat down with 1851 Franchise to discuss his franchising journey with Papa Murphy’s and his plans to build a legacy for his family. Here’s what he had to say:

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?

Tom Lovelace: Both my brother and I were with McDonald's for a number of years before this. We learned about restaurants, business and customer service all from working for McDonald's. We were looking to do something else, something different. We came across two stores that were for sale. And so, the story goes, we bought them, improved them and then started buying and opening other stores quite rapidly.

1851: How did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Lovelace: We saw how the system worked for McDonald's and at that time, it was very systems-based. There's a reason for everything you do — here's how you do it. A Big Mac in Vancouver, Washington, is a Big Mac in New York. That consistency piece really intrigued us.

Papa Murphy’s actually is based here in the Northwest. That's where the brand started and it was called Papa Aldo's at the time.

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?

Lovelace: In the earlier years, it's helpful to have those systems. It's beneficial to have someone help you with your real estate, training, equipment purchases — things like that — because it's standard stuff for each brand. Pricing for your goods is negotiated on a larger scale than what you can do on your own, so your price is better. That was all very intriguing. And again, we were used to that with McDonald's. 

In later years, when we knew what we were doing, we didn't rely on that too much because you just know what to do. But it's still helpful to have a brand behind you. And being a national brand is always helpful.

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

Lovelace: Coming from McDonald's, where we were open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. at that time, and you have a big physical footprint, it was a lot to maintain — a lot of employees to hire and fire. Papa Murphy's is a pretty simple concept. You're open from 11 a.m. until 8 or 9 p.m. We need 1,200 square feet and about 10 to 15 employees. No ovens, no grease — it's a pretty simple process.

1851: Why do you think the last 35 years with the brand have been so successful?

Lovelace: I've had my kids involved from the beginning — they're in their forties now — so it's been a family business, which is rewarding and difficult at the same time. We've chosen to be solely focused on Papa Murphy's as we've grown. We haven't been looking for diversification options, even though in some cases that makes sense. We chose to stick with this brand. We love it. We believe in it. As some would say, we have pizza sauce in our veins. It's just been a good brand. It's treated us well over the years.

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

Lovelace: We had some strong growth years over the past 10 or 12 years — pretty extensive growth. For the past couple of years, we've been fine-tuning the operations and doing a lot of portfolio management in terms of stores. I'm 63 years old — my kids run the day-to-day business and we're actually working on an exit strategy for me. I'll still be involved, but to a lesser degree. My goal is to hand off the business to my kids, debt-free and in the best possible position.

1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?

Lovelace: Our dad was a pastor of a small church. We grew up with all of our needs met, but we definitely weren't affluent by any means. We had some pretty humble beginnings, and we learned early on the importance of a strong work ethic from our dad. That led to me working for a paycheck at 14 as a dishwasher at a local restaurant, and not just mowing lawns anymore. I started with McDonald's when I was 15.

I always excelled in sports and so I got a full-ride scholarship to a D-1 school to play football for them. Again, the work ethic was helpful to achieve my goals there. Right after that, I got married to my wife — we’ve been married for 44 years now — and that's when we got involved with Papa Murphy's a few years after that.

As an owner of a business, you’re on 24/7, and even to this day, I still don’t take many days off — that's for sure.

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

Lovelace: Do your homework. It's free, so do as much research as you can on the brand. Talk to as many current franchisees as possible. I always tell people to spend weeks — or even a month — just calling current franchisees. They'll give you the real feel of the business and you'll see common threads in what they say. Calling 15 to 20 franchisees of that brand would not be too many phone calls to make.

ABOUT PAPA MURPHY'S

Papa Murphy's International LLC (""Papa Murphy's"") is a franchisor and operator of the largest Take 'n' Bake pizza brand in the United States, with over 1,000 franchised and corporate-owned locations across the U.S—plus locations in Canada and the UAE. It’s no surprise that their story is a little unconventional. After all, Papa Murphy’s brought an entirely new approach to the pizza industry. But their unique idea is a simple one: enrich life and community through craveable food. They focus on using quality ingredients, prepared fresh daily, to offer guests everyday meals to take ‘n’ bake at home with ease. In addition to take ‘n’ bake pizzas, Papa Murphy's offers a selection of salads, sides, desserts, and kid’s options. Learn more and order online at papamurphys.com.