The Bared Brothers are Leading Farm Stores into Franchising

Nostalgia can be a powerful thing. Most people will wistfully talk about the “good ‘ole days” of their childhood. For Carlos Bared, that involves growing up in South Florida, where he would go to his local Farm Stores every weekend to help his family stock up on groceries. It’s a memory he still fondly recalls decades later, and he’s remained a loyal customer all his life.

Today, as Farm Stores CEO, he’s helping to introduce the 60-year-old concept that he fell in love with as a kid to the rest of the United States.

“Once you adopt the Farm Stores concept, it becomes a part of your life—it’s something you can’t live without,” Bared said. “It’s a concept that somehow seems unchanged by time, and yet, it’s still pioneering a way of shopping that busy families need. I realized it was time to take Farm Stores beyond Florida, and share this unique business model with the rest of the country.”

Founded in 1957, Farm Stores is the nation’s largest drive-thru grocery, bakery and quick-service restaurant. For decades it’s served families in South Florida, giving them quality foods, baked goods, household supplies and take-home meals on the go. There are more than 80 Farm Stores locations located throughout Florida.

In 2014, Bared, alongside his brother, Maurice, who has been with Farm Stores since 2004, decided it was time to expand the brand’s footprint. After Bared assumed the role of CEO of franchising that year, he decided that the best way to watch this iconic concept grow was to open up the model to franchisees. As the chief operating officer for Farm Stores, Maurice brought with him a deep understanding of how to run a business. Meanwhile, Carlos could bring his financial background to the table. Together, they realized that their dream of franchising Farm Stores could quickly come to fruition.

By 2015, the brothers officially announced that the brand would be embarking on a growth strategy that included initial development efforts focused on Florida and extending into select suburban markets across the country. Bared says that the decision to go into franchising was an easy one—the simplicity of the Farm Stores model makes it a scalable business that people want to be a part of.

“What we do is simple. Our target consumer is the working mom—the one with the kid in the car seat who’s constantly on the go. They could go to the supermarket, get their kid out of the car and juggle a dozen things at once, or, they could go to Farm Stores. It’s simple, convenient and customers can get whatever they want,” Carlos Bared said. “It’s light years ahead of other concepts, and it’s easy for the consumer to see the value. Even if they didn’t grow up with a Farm Stores, people just get it.”

For potential franchisees, that simplicity extends into the operations, too. Farm Stores locations have a very small staffing requirement—a single unit generally needs six employees. And the select products and format makes it easy for any business owner to dive into it, even if they have little experience.

According to Carlos Bared, they’re also implementing a unique new store design to enhance their operational simplicity. Because the franchised Farm Stores locations will solely operate a drive-thru operation program, they can get a little more creative with build out. Rather than having to hunt down real estate, Farm Stores will instead use recycled shipping containers.

“The new Farm Stores locations will be a green concept, too. Using recycled shipping containers adds a certain ‘wow factor’ to our classic image,” Carlos Bared added.

In order to fuel franchise development, the company is seeking single- and multi-unit operators and area developers with business management or retail experience. Franchisees can expect the total cost of investment for one store to range from $245,800 to $540,000. And in addition to single and multi-unit operators, Farm Stores is also targeting area developers to expand the brand. Carlos Bared said franchising is already picking up quickly—with three area representatives already signed on, they have 150 stores in the pipeline.