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<div id="pastingspan1" style="">Slim Chickens franchise owner, Mark Smith was exposed to the restaurant industry from a very young age. Mark&#8217;s father started working for McDonald&#8217;s when they launched and watched as his father spent his college tuition savings on a new Burger King location. At the age of 15, Mark got a job as the &#8220;fry guy&#8221; at one of his dad&#8217;s franchise locations. He moved through the system and has only gained a stronger passion and respect for the industry. Mark tells us about his key to success and the excitement of starting a new venture.</div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><strong>1851 Franchise</strong>: You transitioned from the &#8220;fry guy,&#8221; to a busser, a bartender and now a franchise owner. What has holding all of these different positions taught you about the industry?</div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><strong>Mark Smith</strong>: Everything is interconnected. I learned the process from the inside-out and because of this am capable of understanding any situation. I understand the hourly worker&#8217;s needs, the employer&#8217;s needs and how the requirements from the corporate office intertwine at a franchise level. I know how the decisions are made and how everything works through the chain of command. It&#8217;s really helped me see the whole picture.</div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><strong>1851</strong>: What were your initial perceptions of the franchising process?</div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><strong>MS</strong>: My perception has always been positive because I&#8217;ve always worked with franchises. I started working with Burger King when I was a kid, transitioned to Subway and then worked at a few fine dining restaurants throughout Cincinnati. I feel like a lot of people who don&#8217;t work in the industry think there&#8217;s a negative stigma attached to franchising. Supporting local businesses has become such a statement. I&#8217;ve always looked at franchising as a positive influence in any community because franchises are proven business models. Local owners can draw off of that experience and work together with other communities to build something stand-alone businesses might not have the opportunity to support. Having all of those voices and the corporate input along with a positive influence from other franchisees helps build a brand perception that can resonate on a local level.</div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><strong>1851</strong>: Why did you choose to become a franchisee with Slim Chickens over other fast-casual restaurants?</div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div style=""><strong>MS</strong>: Cincinnati has a lot of established restaurants but they&#8217;re unoriginal concepts. Restaurants with a sole purpose of serving chicken tenders are new developments in southern Ohio, but the concepts that have broken into the market are doing really well. There are quite a few of our competitors in Lexington and a handful in Columbus but there really isn&#8217;t a lot of competition in Cincinnati. Slim Chickens was a perfect fit because it&#8217;s a marketable strategy in a growing segment. All of the pieces really fell together.</div><div style="">&nbsp;</div><div><strong>1851</strong>: What was it about franchising that kept you interested in the industry?</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>MS</strong>: It wasn&#8217;t franchising in particular, it was restaurants. When I was born, my dad always told me he was going to put money into a savings account for me. Instead, he took that money and opened a Burger King. My entire life I&#8217;ve watched what he&#8217;s done to build a successful business and have been a part of the process first hand. I knew I wanted to be a restaurant owner because I&#8217;ve been exposed to the upsides and the downsides of ownership. Knowing I can handle the challenge makes jumping in less intimidating. As far as franchising, it gives me the opportunity to bring something new and different to Cincinnati without reinventing the wheel. I knew I wanted to find a company with a solid foundation and then build a business around that image. I&#8217;m excited to get started.</div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""></div>

1851 Franchise

Slim Chickens franchisee Mark Smith tells us how growing up in the industry sparked a life-long passion.

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