How 810's Corporate-Owned Locations Are Helping Franchisees Grow

South Carolina-based 810 Billiards & Bowling has three corporate-owned locations in its home state, but it’s betting big on an ambitious franchise strategy that will allow it to grow into a national presence. 

The upscale dining, bar and entertainment brand just debuted its first franchised location in Chandler, Arizona and plans to build other locations later this year.

But 810 is not giving up on corporate locations. In fact, it is set to open its corporately-owned location in Phoenix, its first corporate location outside of South Carolina, about 20 minutes from its Chandler franchisee. The company leadership team believes that corporate and franchise units in the same market have big benefits for franchisees as well as the brand as a whole. 

“I've been a franchisee in the past,” said Michael Siniscalchi, 810 Billiards & Bowling president. “Typically franchisors have this attitude: ‘Hey, we're not operators. We don't run corporate stores. We focus only on support.’ That just never sat right with me. If your concept is so great, why are you not reinvesting corporate dollars into it and growing the corporate base.”

By opening a Southwest store, 810 has addressed some obvious practical concerns as well. First, there’s geography. Building corporate locations here gives the brand a closer presence to its franchise stores that are opening in the southwestern parts of the United States. And with a limited number of units in the area, another store just helps boost leverage with vendors and improve marketing reach and brand recognition.  

Still, Siniscalchi believes that corporate stores and franchise stores should grow in parallel to each other. It is also planning a corporate location in Houston, which the brand is targeting for franchise growth. In South Carolina, where its original corporate headquarters is located, it’s opening locations to franchisees and will soon have a franchise location in Greenville. 

“The more resources we bring to bear as a brand as a whole and the more support and resources we can offer to the franchisees, the more operational experience and expertise we develop in our system,” he said.

Siniscalchi said the strategy is already having benefits for the Arizona stores, from getting better rates on direct mail marketing pieces to announcing the debut of the location thanks to bigger orders to using corporate advertising dollars in strategic ways, for instance through billboard and store signage that tout the franchisee’s new location as well as its own. 

As the brand’s first franchisees, husband and wife investors Poonam and Ronak Manek liked having their corporate partners in the neighborhood, especially with a buildout that started during the height of the pandemic. 

“Doing construction and build out during a pandemic, as you can imagine, was daunting,” said Poonam, who owns the Chandler location with her husband. “But with the corporate team near and available to us, we felt like we were well supported by them. It definitely smoothed communication and helped us get up and running.”

The initial investment to franchise with 810 Billiards & Bowling ranges from $1.8 million to $3 million, including a $50,000 franchise fee. Franchisees will find a high margin of revenue streams through the games, early positive cash flow, and long-term security. For more information please visit 810bowling.com/franchising.