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While pursuing a degree in business at the University of Mississippi, Merrick McKinnie supported himself by bussing tables at a local restaurant. As he fell in love with the foodservice industry, McKinnie worked his way up from cook to general manager.

Today, he is the President of<a href="http://www.sdholdingsllc.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-this-mcalisters-deli-sonic-drive-in-and-mod-pizza-franchisee-decided-to-sign-on-to-open-18-fuzzys-taco-shop-restaurants-2710972" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> SD Holdings</a>, a multi-brand franchise portfolio company with more than 150 restaurants across seven states. SD Holdings functions as the franchisee for those units it has purchased, with a portfolio that includes McAlister&rsquo;s Deli, MOD Pizza, Sonic Drive-In and<a href="https://www.fuzzystacoshop.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-this-mcalisters-deli-sonic-drive-in-and-mod-pizza-franchisee-decided-to-sign-on-to-open-18-fuzzys-taco-shop-restaurants-2710972" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> Fuzzy&rsquo;s Taco Shop</a>&mdash;the latter of which the group is currently developing across the state of North Carolina.

McKinnie was introduced to<a href="https://1851franchise.com/fuzzystacoshop" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> Fuzzy&rsquo;s Taco Shop</a> by his business partner and SD Holdings CEO, Yaron Goldman. Goldman was a regular of Fuzzy&rsquo;s in Fort Collins, Colorado&mdash;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/fuzzystacoshop/fuzzy-s-taco-shop-isn-t-a-cult-but-its-food-is-so-good-it-honestly-could-be-2710554" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">most Fuzzy&rsquo;s guests are regulars</a>, after all.

&ldquo;Yaron was going there two or three times a week,&rdquo; said McKinnie. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re always looking for new concepts to get into to diversify our portfolio, so I thought it would be worth checking out.&rdquo;

McKinnie met up with Goldman in Fort Worth, Texas to see what his partner&rsquo;s raving was all about. Although he was truly curious, McKinnie also knew what he was looking for in a franchisor. &ldquo;The number one thing for us is people,&rdquo; said McKinnie. &ldquo;When it comes down to it, restaurants are a people business.&rdquo;

McKinnie practices what he preaches, noting in particular the long tenure of his managers. &ldquo;Many of them have been with us for 18 or 19 years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think it just goes back to developing and working with a team like they&rsquo;re family and treating people how they want to be treated.&rdquo;

Upon meeting the team at Fuzzy&rsquo;s Taco Shop, McKinnie was struck by how the members&rsquo; core values aligned with his. &ldquo;What we love about Fuzzy&rsquo;s is that it&rsquo;s very laid back, focused and driven. We want partners who think the way we do about moving the business forward,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The leadership team at Fuzzy&rsquo;s is easy to sit down and have a meal with. If anything comes up, you can talk about it. That&rsquo;s what we want: a partner with whom we can speak anytime we pick up the phone to call.&rdquo;&nbsp;

SD Holdings initially signed a six-unit deal to bring Fuzzy&rsquo;s Taco Shop to North Carolina. The first location opened in May 2018; the second that December; and the third most recently in February 2019&mdash;all in the commercial hub of Charlotte.

&ldquo;Fuzzy&rsquo;s is one of the first taco places in the area that fits that unique, fresh flavor profile,&rdquo; said McKinnie. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really something else. Fuzzy&rsquo;s is loud, in-your-face and all about having fun and socializing. North Carolina really loves those kinds of concepts.&rdquo;

&nbsp;It wasn&rsquo;t long before McKinnie and his team caught Fuzzy&rsquo;s Fever.

&nbsp;&ldquo;Our goal was always to develop the North Carolina market, but we didn&rsquo;t want to bite off more than we could chew by opening too many without knowing how they&rsquo;d perform,&rdquo; said McKinnie. &ldquo;Once we got the first unit open, we saw the huge loyalty that follows Fuzzy&rsquo;s. That was really exciting for us. We loved the concept, so we thought it was a good time to lock up North Carolina.&rdquo;

&nbsp;Thus, the group signed on for an 18-unit deal. SD Holdings plans to continue building the brand in Charlotte, branching out further across the state from there.

&nbsp;&ldquo;Fuzzy&rsquo;s has brought in a lot of new leadership that I think is going to push us even further forward,&rdquo; said McKinnie. &ldquo;That&#39;s really what it&rsquo;s all about. How can we continue to enhance what&rsquo;s already a fun experience for our guests? What can we do behind the scenes to make it even better? That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m excited about.&rdquo;

&nbsp;McKinnie&rsquo;s dedication to improving the experience translates to his fellow Fuzzy&rsquo;s franchise owners, too.

&nbsp;&ldquo;As a rookie franchisee, Merrick was voted onto our Franchise Advisory Council and brings great value in supporting his fellow franchisees,&rdquo; said Andie Smirl, Franchise Sales Manager at Fuzzy&rsquo;s. &ldquo;He and his team bring another level of sophistication to our brand. Given their experience and knowledge, we feel very fortunate they are part of the Fuzzy&rsquo;s family.&rdquo;

Indeed, McKinnie&rsquo;s people-centric approach gives him back much satisfaction in return. &ldquo;Many people measure their success by financials, but I measure my success by how people are developing and growing with us,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Having the opportunity to grow people&rsquo;s careers with us is definitely the most rewarding aspect of the job.&rdquo;

&nbsp;Of course, the scrumptious food at Fuzzy&rsquo;s doesn&rsquo;t hurt either. &ldquo;I love the tempura shrimp,&rdquo; laughed McKinnie. &ldquo;Also, just adding Mahi to a salad makes it so great.&rdquo;

For more information about joining the Fuzzy&rsquo;s Taco Shop family as a franchisee, visit<a href="https://www.fuzzystacoshop.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-this-mcalisters-deli-sonic-drive-in-and-mod-pizza-franchisee-decided-to-sign-on-to-open-18-fuzzys-taco-shop-restaurants-2710972" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.myfuzzys.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-this-mcalisters-deli-sonic-drive-in-and-mod-pizza-franchisee-decided-to-sign-on-to-open-18-fuzzys-taco-shop-restaurants-2710972" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">www.myfuzzys.com</a>.

Why This McAlister’s Deli, Sonic Drive-In and MOD Pizza Franchisee Decided to Sign On to Open 18 Fuzzy’s Taco Shop Restaurants

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With three locations now open in Charlotte, the franchise group SD Holdings is expanding the brand across the entire state of North Carolina.

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