Young Ones to Watch: Ivan Flores, Founder of The Buffalo Spot

Ivan Flores, 36, had an itch to become an entrepreneur ever since he made his first business transaction in the first grade selling artwork for 50 cents. Flores never thought his days of buying and reselling candy bars to the kids at school would have led him to becoming a business owner.

In 2012, Flores founded The Buffalo Spot—known for its “world famous buffalo fries”—and began franchising the brand to give aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to become their own bosses. Franchising has helped Flores expand his company’s family-friendly culture and introduce new communities to its mouthwatering chicken menu.

At just 36 years old, Flores has helped grow The Buffalo Spot to over 25 locations across three states, and he doesn’t plan on stopping there. In an interview with 1851 Franchise, Flores discusses his success stories, how he began franchising and his advice to ambitious entrepreneurs.

1851: What initially drew you to franchising?  

Flores: After working my way through the restaurant scene and gaining some real traction with The Buffalo Spot, I knew that we could expand the concept. I wanted to grow the brand and the company’s culture to give more opportunities to people who have the same values as me. That’s when I thought franchising is the way to go since everything is uniform and constant. I think it’s a smart way to expand a business while helping other people start their own business.

1851: Where do you see the most opportunity in franchising and why are you excited about the future of the industry? 

Flores: From my experience, I realized our customers prefer straightforward menus. The concept of The Buffalo Spot is unique because of our buffalo fries, but we keep our menu simple and straightforward—it’s easy for our customers to know what they want and we’ve created a concept that delivers.

I’m excited about the growth of The Buffalo Spot. We are expanding rapidly in terms of franchises and locations. I think people are more aware of the pros of managing their own franchise and how franchising offers a good way to grow. We have several multi-unit franchise owners already on board, some of whom have experience with other restaurant concepts. They see an exciting future with our model.

Franchising fuels growth, it builds relationships and a sense of community among the franchisees. It’s a pretty neat experience to watch them invest their time and resources and grow alongside you.

1851: What advice do you have for other young up-and-comers in the space? 

Flores: Honestly, never stop dreaming. Work hard, don’t give up.

1851: What advice would you give your younger self?

Flores: Surround yourself with people that know more than you at an earlier stage.

1851: Who is someone you look to for inspiration?

Flores: The thing that I love about the food industry is the hospitality behind it. You can’t get more personal than feeding people. The people I look up to embrace this idea. Some of my inspirations are the founders of In-N-Out Burger, Harry Snyder and Esther Snyder; Danny Meyer, who founded Shake Shack; and I also look up to S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A.