1851

In the year since <a href="http://ownasobelmans.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=sobelmans-continues-to-gain-ground-in-wisconsin-with-plans-for-new-stores-in-madison-2704305" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><a href="http://ownasobelmans.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=sobelmans-continues-to-gain-ground-in-wisconsin-with-plans-for-new-stores-in-madison-2704305" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sobelmans</a> Pub &amp; Grill</a> began franchising, the burger-and-bloody-mary concept has already become a Wisconsin hallmark, offering a fine-tuned version of the type of indulgent, unpretentious American fare that the state is famous for. Now Sobelmans is preparing to cement their growing reputation as a Wisconsin mainstay by moving into Madison, the state&rsquo;s second biggest city and home to tens of thousands of hungry college students.

According to Dave Sobelman, founder and co-president of <a href="https://sobelmanspubgrill.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=sobelmans-continues-to-gain-ground-in-wisconsin-with-plans-for-new-stores-in-madison-2704305" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><a href="https://sobelmanspubgrill.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=sobelmans-continues-to-gain-ground-in-wisconsin-with-plans-for-new-stores-in-madison-2704305" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sobelmans</a> Pub &amp; Grill</a>, Madison and Sobelmans have a lot to offer each other.

&ldquo;We&#39;ve built a brand around high-quality meat, cheese, beer, and bloody marys,&rdquo; said Sobelman. &ldquo;The only people who love those things more than Wisconsinites are college students, and Madison has over 40,000 of them.&rdquo;

Rick Robinson, President and Founder of Services4Franchising, which provides development services for Sobelmans, notes that students aren&rsquo;t the only potentially lucrative demographic that Madison has to offer. Visiting families are also likely to gravitate toward the known quantity of burgers and bloody marys.

&ldquo;The frequency of sports events, holidays, and seasonal breaks means a nearly year-round circulation of parents and families visiting students,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;Local families know the brand and are going to opt for that familiarity, and out-of-towners are looking for comfort food and something that&rsquo;s a safe bet for everyone in the family, which is one of the bar-and-grill concept&rsquo;s biggest selling points.&rdquo;

That many customers can pose challenge rather than a benefit for independent operations that are not supported by the framework of a franchise. Consistency is paramount for any restaurant, and according to Sobelman, independent restaurants aren&rsquo;t likely to keep up with demand.

&ldquo;I often see other restaurants posting pictures of burgers and bloody marys online, and I think &lsquo;great, you&rsquo;ve made a beautiful burger and bloody to post online, but can you make 100 or 200 of each every single day without losing a step?&rsquo; I don&rsquo;t think they can.&rdquo;

Sobelmans franchisees benefit from an established operational system that allows them to serve high volumes of customers without sacrificing quality.

&ldquo;When someone buys a Sobelmans, they become business partners with me,&rdquo; said Sobelman. &ldquo;So on their first day they are running a restaurant with an 18-year restauranteur, and they&rsquo;ve got the resources of all the other Sobelmans locations at their disposal.&rdquo;

That partnership has proven successful for the restaurant&rsquo;s existing franchisees, who are receiving growing attention across the country as the brand&rsquo;s famously over-adorned bloody marys are increasingly dominating social media feeds.

While Sobelmans continues to grow at an impressive clip during their first year as a franchise, they are not set on growth solely for growth&rsquo;s sake. Sobelman wants his brand name to become synonymous with Wisconsin food, which means that, despite having developing territories across the U.S., the franchise&rsquo;s most significant growth remains close to home. And community integration is a key element of that growth strategy.

&ldquo;The buildings that we choose are important. We like a space that has a history to incorporate into the location,&rdquo; said Sobelman. &ldquo;We have turned down two strip mall locations because they did not bring the character that is an essential part of the Sobelmans experience.&rdquo;

Sobelman said that nearly all of his vendors are local as well.

&ldquo;We recently rebuilt our melts with Widmer Cheese, an award-winning local brick-cheese maker, and we renamed them Widmer Melts,&rdquo; Sobleman said. &ldquo;All of the cheese we use is from Wisconsin, every beer we have on tap is from Wisconsin, the vodka in our Bloody Marys is from Wisconsin and we recently entered partnerships Johnsonville Sausages and the Milwaukee Pretzel Company. It&rsquo;s important to us that our food tastes like home and that our operations support the community.&rdquo;

Robinson said he foresees rapid growth for Sobelmans not only in Madison, but throughout Wisconsin.

&ldquo;We want a Sobelmans in every Wisconsin market that has 50,000 or more people,&rdquo; said Robinson. &ldquo;Madison is the logical next step in service of that goal, and I see the brand finding enormous success there, which they can quickly leverage toward further growth throughout the state.&rdquo;

Sobelmans Continues to Gain Ground in Wisconsin with Plans for New Stores in Madison

1851 Franchise

The Wisconsin-based burger brand looks to establish new franchisees in the state’s capital city

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

sobelmans-continues-to-gain-ground-in-wisconsin-with-plans-for-new-stores-in-madison

Paris Baguette Canada

Photo of exterior of a Paris Baguette location

How Much Can I Make as a Paris Baguette Franchisee?

paris-baguette-franchise-disclosure-document-analysis

Busy Bee Jumpers

Busy Bee Jumpers: Where Proven Success Meets People-First Franchising

busy-bee-jumpers-franchise-culture-success

busy-bee-jumpers-consumer-positioning-image-kids-jumping-bounce-house

Delivering Fun With a Smile: How Busy Bee Jumpers Earns 5-Star Raves From Families Across New England

busy-bee-jumpers-party-rentals

busy-bee-jumpers-franchise-positioning-image

Bouncing Into Business: How Busy Bee Jumpers Is Building the First National Bounce House Franchise

franchise-opportunity-busy-bee-jumpers-franchise

Layne's Chicken Fingers

Photo of exterior of Layne's Chicken Fingers restaurant

Layne’s Franchisees Capitalize on First-To-Market Advantage in Chicken Finger Frenzy

laynes-franchise-first-mover-advantage

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Homebuyers Keep Buying — And That’s Good News for Home Service Franchises - 1851 Franchise

Homebuyers Keep Buying — And That’s Good News for Home Service Franchises

homebuyers-keep-buying-and-thats-good-news-for-home-service-franchises

AI Could Push Unemployment to 20% — Fueling a Surge in First-Time Franchise Buyers - 1851 Franchise

AI Could Push Unemployment to 20% — Fueling a Surge in First-Time Franchise Buyers

ai-unemployment-impact-white-collar-job-loss

How To Sell Just One Franchise: What You’ll Learn at FranCamp NJ 2025

how-to-sell-just-one-franchise-what-youll-learn-at-francamp-nj-2025

House Passes Tax Relief Package With Key Benefits for Small Businesses and Franchises

house-passes-small-business-tax-relief-bill-2025

McDonald’s To Hire 375,000 Workers as It Prepares for Major U.S. Expansion

mcdonalds-to-hire-375000-workers-as-it-prepares-for-major-us-expansion

franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Brianna and Matt Fitchett, Seniors Helping Seniors logo

Nonprofit Leaders to Bring Seniors Helping Seniors® Franchise to East Bay, California

nonprofit-leaders-to-bring-seniors-helping-seniors-franchise-to-east-bay-california

franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Abid Khan and Paris Baguette logo

Longtime Tim Horton’s Franchisee Signs 4-Unit Agreement with Paris Baguette in Toronto

longtime-tim-hortons-franchisee-signs-4-unit-agreement-with-paris-baguette-in-toronto

franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Melissa & Matt Johnson and Pigtails & Crewcuts logo

Building a Family-Friendly Business: How Melissa and Matt Johnson Grew Pigtails & Crewcuts in San Antonio

how-melissa-and-matt-johnson-grew-pigtails-crewcuts-in-san-antonio

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Steve & Mia Kim & Paris Baguette logo

After Falling in Love with Paris Baguette, This North Carolina Couple Decided To Open One of Their Own

paris-baguette-franchise-charlotte-nc

The Top 20 Handyman Franchises To Invest in for 2025

top-handyman-franchises-to-invest-in

How Car Sales Taught Buddy's Home Furnishings’ Mitchell Lee the Secrets of Franchise Development

how-car-sales-taught-buddys-home-furnishings-mitchell-lee-the-secrets-of-franchise-development

The Top 20 Cleaning Franchises to Invest in for 2025

top-cleaning-franchises-to-invest-in

Affordable Franchise Opportunities: Exploring Low-Cost Home Service Franchises Under $50K

affordable-franchise-opportunities-exploring-low-cost-home-service-franchises-under-50k

Sobelmans Continues to Gain Ground in Wisconsin with Plans for New Stores in Madison

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS