Dave Sobleman met his wife Melanie in 1993 at a restaurant where Melanie was waiting tables. Within a year and a half, they were married and starting a family. Fast-forward six years and the young couple was offered the chance to purchase a restaurant and the rest, as they say, is history.
With no formal culinary training, the Sobelmans jumped right in and through the process, have created something truly special by dishing out fresh, not frozen Black Angus beef patties on fresh-baked country rolls accompanied with flavorful, quality toppings for a mouth-watering experience. Their customers know it too – Soblemans Pub & Grill has consistently been named Milwaukee’s Best Burger and Best Bloody Mary while receiving a number of accolades throughout the years.
As an emerging franchisor, Sobelmans was at a crossroads as it pertains to development. With a franchise attorney advising the couple on next steps and a FDD in the works, the Soblemans turned to Services4Franchising for additional support.
“When I first met with the Sobelmans, it was to determine if they were on the right path by ensuring best practices were in place, operations manuals were airtight, the FDD was being finalized, and they were measuring the right performance indicators important to prospective franchisees,” said Services4Franchising Founder and President Rick Robinson. “Many of the brands we work with come up against the same obstacles in their development arc because they are relatively new to franchising. For an emerging brand like Sobelmans Pub & Grill, we’re also working with them to hone their message in order to effectively tell their story to prospective candidates.”
Robinson went on to say that Sobelmans three existing corporate locations are performing well and the restaurant founders were just in need of some guidance to help them shape their story and put a support team in place.
“Beyond the food and incredible drinks, Sobelmans is also taking a distinctive approach to franchise growth. Instead of dreaming about hundreds of units per year, Dave and Melanie Sobelman plan on steady growth with one to two franchises per year,” said Robinson. “This approach, coupled with their desire to develop restaurants in buildings that have history deep within their walls, makes for a great story to tell to potential investors.”
In addition to fine-tuning Sobelmans’ development strategy, Robinson is also assisting the brand with developing a comprehensive training program for new franchisees, and refining the franchise candidate discovery process to ensure the brand can answer any potential question, big or small.
“At Services4Franchising, we really enjoy helping brands like Sobelmans fine tune their business and franchising model because I love witnessing firsthand the power of small business ownership and entrepreneurship,” Robinson said.
At Services4Franchising, Robinson has helped more than 800 people find their perfect business opportunity, in addition to helping franchisors develop best practices to fine-tune growth. He is happy to assist and advise anyone who is considering franchising, but may be unsure of the best path to take. He can be reached at: [email protected]. 
