Food franchises have come a long way since Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s in 1955. Today, they can be found all over the country—from food courts and strip malls to airports and college campuses. They can range from quick-service restaurants and fast casual to fine-dining and food trucks. And these 261,923 food-related franchises account for an estimated $336 billion of economic output in the United States and employ more than eight million people.
That’s good news for the franchise industry as a whole. But for entrepreneurs looking to become franchisees, choosing the right restaurant to invest in can be nothing short of overwhelming. Fortunately, the Franchise Business Review’s Top 40 Food Franchises rankings can make that decision a little bit easier. These listings, which exist to shed light on the industry’s best food franchises in the U.S., were based on feedback from the people who know these businesses best—their franchisees. More than 26,000 franchise owners representing more than 350 leading brands were surveyed.
Backed by a strong system of nearly 50 locations nationwide, Buffalo Wings & Rings is one of the brands to make the elite list.
“Being listed by Franchise Business Review proves that we are on the right track and excelling in all the right areas. We are extremely proud,” Nader Masadeh said, the CEO of Buffalo Wings & Rings. “Often, the key to starting and staying the course as a franchisee is finding something that inspires you and makes you look forward to the journey ahead. Buffalo Wings & Rings has always believed in its people and that they are the ones who truly make the brand—it’s why so many franchisees find success and have a passion for Buffalo Wings & Rings.”
In particular, Buffalo Wings & Rings received high markings in trustworthiness, franchisee satisfaction and other areas related to the values that the brand lives by.
“Those are the ones that experts tell us are difficult to score high on, and we did very well. We have refined our franchise model over the years, and that success has been proven through the fact that many existing franchisees are deciding to grow with us and invest in new locations,” Masadeh added.
Buffalo Wings & Rings’ added advantage comes from its flexible and customizable support model, which has long been a huge differentiator for the brand. They customize their support for each individual based on their level of experience and level of need. Training is also tailored to make sure that every franchisee is set up for success from the moment they sign their agreement to the day they open their doors. From there, Buffalo Wings & Rings puts a strong emphasis on maintaining open communication to offer support whenever it’s needed—from local store marketing and the point-of-sale system to everything else in between.
The benefits of the Franchise Business Review are twofold. While the ranking highlights the brand’s important strong suits and overall franchisee satisfaction, it also provides actionable insight into the areas in which Buffalo Wings & Rings can improve, too. Better marketing support, for example, was one of the needs presented by the surveyed franchisees. And according to Masadeh, the brand has every intention to use that data and make the Buffalo Wings & Rings brand bigger and better than ever before.
“We are always looking for opportunities to improve, and we take the data provided by our franchisees very seriously. This year’s data ranking clearly shows that there are some areas that can be improved, so we’ll put a strong focus on those. We can take this survey data and communicate back to our franchisees that we hear them, we get it and we are going to act on it to make things better,” Masadeh said. “There’s a lot to celebrate in the results, and it’s a huge positive to see that our franchisees are aligned with our value system, beliefs and goals to create a positive culture. We'll measure against this next year to see more opportunities for improvement, and continue to strive every year to better the brand and the experience for our franchisees.”
To learn more about franchise opportunities with Buffalo Wings & Rings, click here.