The Great Franchisee: Michael Dolan, Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue, New York

Michael Dolan spent 13 years as an equity trader on Wall Street, but throughout that career, he says he was “always looking for something more entrepreneurial.” In 2019, Dolan found the perfect opportunity to fulfill his dream of business ownership with Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue, the fast-growing New York City-based franchise that introduced authentic barbecue experiences to urban, fast-casual settings. Dolan signed on to open four locations with Mighty Quinn’s, the first of which is set to open later this summer at 108-22 Queens Boulevard. 

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story – what did you do before franchising?

Michael Dolan: I graduated from college in 2004 and moved to New York City to start working on Wall Street in trade equity. I did that for about 13 years, but I was always looking for something more entrepreneurial. Something I could call my own with a little more freedom. 

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising, and what was your perception of franchising before becoming a franchise owner?

Dolan: I’m essentially the first entrepreneur in my family. Most of my family members work in the corporate world, but I want to pave the way for future generations. So, when I started looking into being an entrepreneur, I first turned to franchising. I looked into the restaurant franchise space, particularly something that was high protein-based. Something that was lean, healthy but also chef-inspired. I looked at a ton of different concepts and ran each through a checklist. 

I looked at a few brands outside of New York, including ones based on the West Coast that want to come to New York, but it wouldn’t have worked. Mighty Quinn’s essentially checked all of my boxes. They wanted to expand within the tri-state area, and take their equity and transplant it into places like Queens. Getting on the ground floor was pretty exciting too. I’m their second franchisee. Additionally, they are able to structure the business in multiple different ways — a small space in a high-density area or a larger space. All this, plus their product being high-protein based excited me.

1851: Why did you pick Mighty Quinn’s? What excited you most about the brand’s potential?

Dolan: I was living in the East Village when the first Mighty Quinn’s opened there in 2012. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but had no idea they were franchising. A few years later when I was well into my search for a restaurant franchise, a colleague told me they were going to check out the Mighty Quinn’s in New Jersey. I went with them and learned more about the product and business opportunities. Then in 2019, I  ended up signing with Mighty Quinn’s for four units. I still plan on opening up multiple locations. 

As soon as I signed on, I quit my job and focused on this full-time. This was all pre-COVID-19. Initially, I thought I would open in Nassau County where I live. I spent the first three to four months searching for a site with the Mighty Quinn’s corporate team. We looked at markets where Mighty Quinn’s may fit and then we looked at foot-based traffic. We decided Forest Hills was the perfect spot. We found a location on Austin Street and went through about six months of negotiations when COVID hit. Everything was put on the back burner. I ended up abandoning that spot, but I found a great alternative at 108-22 Queens Boulevard. 

The corporate support through all this has been fantastic. I was very nervous when COVID-19 hit. They could have pressured me, but they didn’t. The entire lease deal is favorable. I would have opened up this past fall, but the pandemic was still a problem and it would have been tough. Our hope is to open in August or September of 2021.

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Dolan: Barbecue as a concept is pretty underrepresented in Queens and Forest Hills. I think from a food-concept standpoint, people will be very happy with the high-quality barbeque coming to town. The growth of fast-casual restaurants has accelerated within the past five years. With Mighty Quinn’s you’re guaranteed to have a cool vibe. You’re not sitting in a glorified Chipotle. This is chic.

I signed a contract for four units and mapped out all four for Queens. Depending on the sales ramp of the first location, I’ll open my second location in maybe six to nine months.

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Dolan: I guess there’s a little bit of luck with everything. Find a brand that you can get behind and then support your business with the right people.

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Dolan: I grew up in Massachusetts. I am the youngest of seven kids. But New York is now my home. When I moved to New York after college, I met my wife, Paula. She was born in Queens and moved to Garden City, Long Island in Nassau County. After our first child was born, we decided we wanted to move to the suburbs, and Garden City seemed like the right place. Her family is there, and one of my siblings is there. It’s close to Manhattan and Queens, but it’s not as fast-paced as living in the city. My wife, Paula, was born in Queens and is a native New Yorker. 

ABOUT MIGHTY QUINN'S BBQ:

Mighty Quinn’s is the first authentic barbeque experience in a fast-casual setting and winner of the 2013 Zagat award for best new restaurant in New York. Defining Urban BBQ, its barbeque is the merging of two great barbeque traditions: Texas and the Carolinas. It brings together the best of both and creates something uniquely its own. The process begins with the best all-natural meats and poultry, seasoned with perfect spice blends and then smoked with wood for many hours until the perfect harmony of smoke, flavor and time emerges. As a brand, Mighty Quinn’s was first introduced in 2011, when co-founder and Pitmaster Hugh Mangum smoked brisket and pulled pork out of a mobile smoker hitched to his pickup truck in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). Deciding to expand beyond the mobile offering, which regularly resulted in a 40-person line that continued to grow until Mangum ran out of product, Mangum joined forces with his stepbrother, Micha Magid, and Micha’s brother-in-law, Christos Gourmos, to open the first brick-and-mortar Mighty Quinn’s restaurant in the East Village. Since the brand’s inception, the three partners have opened nine corporate-owned locations, a restaurant at Yankee Stadium, two locations in Madison Square Garden and one international franchised restaurant. Now, with strong operations and a growing fan base, the brand is excited to push growth forward through franchising.