Port City Java’s Sarah Meriam Discusses Franchise Operations

North Carolina-based coffee franchise Port City Java has been a staple of the South East coffee scene ever since its first coffee house opened in Wilmington more than 23 years ago. Since then, the brand has grown throughout the region, establishing units throughout North and South Carolina and earning a loyal customer base at each one of its stores.

Port City Java differentiates itself from its competitors by offering locally roasted beans, whereas most coffee chains ship a single product to all of its stores nationwide, meaning beans might be roasted in one state and travel for weeks before arriving in a store.

We talked with Port City Java’s director of franchise operations, Sarah Meriam, to learn about the unique operational concerns of that model.

What does Port City Java’s operations team look like?

Meriam: Our entire operations team is made up of six people and covers both franchise and corporate operations. On the corporate side, we have three corporate district managers who oversee 14 locations and report to our CEO. On the franchise side, I am our director of franchise operations and there are two franchise business consultants who report to me. Samantha Stroupe, our CFE, oversees our six traditional franchise locations, and Erik Maasch oversees our seven non-traditional franchise locations, all of which are located on university campuses. We work very closely with Corporate Operations to ensure we are all on the same page across our entire system of cafes and that all are held to the same standards of operation.

What drew you to operations?

Meriam: I have worked in franchising since 2012, but I really developed a passion for it after our team rejoined the IFA in 2015. The network I have built from that community has not only helped me grow professionally as an individual but also provides access to the knowledge and experience of tenured franchise employees who have helped guide our brand towards success. Though I have never worked on the franchisee side myself, being a franchisor and specifically in franchise operations has simultaneously been the most challenging and rewarding experience in my career to date. Building relationships and having a direct impact on the success of business owners challenges me to do everything I can to ensure any changes or decisions are in the best interest of every unit in our system.

What are some of the key operational concerns for any franchise brand?

Meriam: I think all franchise brands should be concerned with building a strong system, effectively training and supporting that system and coaching franchisees to achieve consistent compliance with brand standards. To me, these are the fundamental ideas behind successfully operating a franchise business and often what differentiates brands in the eyes of the active and/or potential franchisee.

What are some operational concerns that are unique to Port City Java?

Meriam: Definitely all of the above applies to us as we are constantly assessing and reassessing what we are doing in our operating systems. A unique challenge for us currently, though it is definitely not unique in franchising, is finding the balance between building our support staff strategically. We want to ensure all of our existing units, as well as those coming on board in the near future, have the support we strive for, but as an emerging brand, we are not yet royalty-sustained so finding those dollars is, again, a balancing act.

Are you focused more on individual unit operations or the operations of the system at large?

Meriam: In my specific role, I am primarily focused on the operations of our system as a whole and allow my team of FBC’s to focus on individual unit operations. Along with regular site visits and contact with our operating units, we have added several tools, particularly auditing software, which allows me to quickly and easily assess our overall operations and identify any areas that may need attention and whether they are occurring across the board or in one specific unit, territory or model. The difference comes in how we address the operational need; if something only requires attention in a specific unit, the FBC and I will come up with the necessary coaching plan and follow up mechanisms and they will execute. If we identify a need that impacts the system as a whole, both Franchise and Corporate Operations will work in tandem to create an action plan to ensure proper execution to the entire system.

What do you wish you knew about franchising or franchise operations before you got into the industry?

Meriam: I think the two biggest lessons I learned after getting into franchising were how to celebrate the small victories and the value of answering the question, “why?” Having grown up with the PCJ brand in Corporate Operations, I came to our franchise operations department with an unrealistic ideal of what it was going to be like working with franchisees. I took for granted the fact that I was now working with business owners, not just other managers, and I had to justify every decision that was being made. And even in doing that, when we had great justification, sometimes that was not good enough. I’ve heard several people say that working in franchising, especially in the FBC role, is a very thankless job and that became apparent to me very quickly. But, six-plus years later, after building solid relationships with the franchisees still in our system, there are some days and some small details that don’t always need the full, “why,” explanation and that is definitely a victory.

If a franchise brand is struggling, where should they look first to improve their operations?

Meriam: I think that the most important thing is for a franchise brand to isolate what they do well and determine what it will take to capitalize on that. Make sure training programs are digestible and measured for effectiveness; talk to your operators and find out what their pain points are, but use hard data as often as possible when making decisions and make sure the franchisor team is unified and on the same page. Simplify and focus on the key aspects of the business and what defines the brand in order to make it possible to replicate that success.