The 8 | March 31, 2017

1. Frantastic: If you haven’t already heard, a new statue of Cristiano Ronaldo was recently unveiled. But instead of resembling the Portuguese soccer player, it looks more like Sloth from “The Goonies.” Naturally, the unfortunate looking statue sent the internet into a Photoshop, meme-making frenzy. Check out this week’s edition of “The 8” to see a few of our favorite reactions, along with the lesson we think members of the franchising community can learn from this ordeal.

2. Franlebrity: Laura Rea Dickey—this week’s Franlebrity—has always been involved in the restaurant business. From her first job as a hostess at Lone Star Steakhouse to her current position as CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., she has seen the industry evolve first-hand. A big part of that evolution has included an increase in diversity among brands’ leadership teams, which Dickey says is ultimately helping restaurant chains better understand their customers. Head to 1851 for her full story.

3. Frash Money: In the first three months of 2017, Buffalo Wings & Rings has opened up new locations in Florida, Kentucky and North Dakota. And all of those stores have broken various opening week sales records, showing that the brand is building on impressive momentum. With a plan to continue opening one store per month, Buffalo Wings & Rings is gearing up for a fast-paced year when it comes to development.

4. Frant of the Week: Have you noticed that today’s news headlines are more often than not preceded by words like “Breaking News,” “Developing Story” or “This Just In?” That’s not an accident—viewers are hooked when they see a big red bar that’s commanding their attention. And while sensationalizing the news might be annoying, it works. The same thing is happening in franchising—there’s a narrative surrounding the industry that tells a misguided story of chains and big-box limitations. To find out how to fight this one-sided narrative, check out No Limit Agency* Vice President Troy Kehoe’s latest column on 1851.

5. Franch Forward: Maid Right is Franching Forward in key development markets across the country. The brand is launching a strategic growth campaign to capitalize on the rising demand for residential cleaning services among consumers. With its sights set on establishing a presence in major cities like St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas and Milwaukee, Wisconsin through its Master Franchisee business model, Maid Right is gearing up for a busy 2017.

6. Fran Funny: What kind of tea is hard to swallow? Reality.

7. Franspiration Misquote: “The future depends on what you do today. So stop making excuses and start making moves if you want to buy a franchise.” – Mahatma Gandhi

8. Franemies vs. Frands: Last week, we called out Instagram for being our Franemie with its two-step authentication process. This week, we decided to recognize one of our social media Frands: Snapchat. While some brands have already secured a spot on the app’s “Discover” platform, others are still trying to figure out how to get their message out to consumers through the platform. Marriott, for example, just rolled out its own “Snapisodes,” which serve as ads specifically made with Snapchat’s format in mind. That ability to be creative and try something new on Snapchat shows that the app is providing brands with new ways to reach more potential customers.