Friends of Nearly 20 Years Join Forces in Franchising with Shuckin’ Shack

Ellis Farr and Jake Wells have been friends for nearly 20 years. After gaining experience serving up delicious food through participating in barbecue competitions together, the pair are looking forward to bringing seafood and a unique concept to Columbia, South Carolina with their own Shuckin’ Shack franchise. 

Farr and Wells know that business ownership is a lot of work, but they are brimming with enthusiasm for this opportunity. Wells, a proud cancer survivor, looks forward to overcoming any obstacles he and his partner might face along the way.

“When you go through an ordeal like that and you face immense challenges, it makes you think about how small some other challenges really are,” said Wells. “Although this is a challenge for us going into business ownership, it's a challenge that we're going to meet and exceed.”

1851 Franchise spoke with Wells and Farr about their journey into franchising with Shuckin’ Shack and their plans for the future. 

PROFILE QUESTIONS

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Farr: I started my career in natural resources and river conservation, working and doing outreach throughout the state of South Carolina for seven or eight years. It was beautiful. Since then, I’ve been working in administration. 

Wells: The majority of my career for nearly 25 years has been in pharmaceutical sales, varying from sales to training to management, all over the southeast. That's basically what I've done my entire career.

My family was in the restaurant business when I was growing up. My grandfather started his own restaurant shortly after World War II in Gastonia, North Carolina. It's always been a dream of mine to have my own place. Franchising seems to be the best opportunity for opening a restaurant because it gives a lot of guidance. Having never owned our own business, we decided that starting out with that support would be really helpful rather than starting from scratch. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a Franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Wells: I always thought there were very strict rules that you have to follow and that it would feel quite limiting. It's very expensive to get into any kind of franchise, but the relationship between the Franchisee and the franchisor has been incredible. 

The relative affordability of Shuckin’ Shack was one of the things that appealed to me, but I was also drawn to the individuality that they will allow you to have as a Franchisee in terms of decor and making the place your own. The corporate team always says that while this is a Shuckin’ Shack, this is Jake and Ellis’ Shuckin’ Shack. I don’t think you hear that with other franchises.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Wells: Looking at our area, we believed it would be a particularly marketable idea. We didn't want to do what everybody else was doing: a burger place. We wanted something with a unique appeal, and oysters and seafood fit the bill. 

Although Columbia isn’t right on the coast, it’s still close enough that there should be more good seafood restaurants here than there are. The brand is a small but growing franchise, located near here in Wilmington. We believe they're taking the right approach growing the brand slowly and not just throwing out a lot of restaurants. So far, they've given us a ton of assistance. The food is great, too!

Farr: The product is excellent, and one of the things that was important to us was that their value system seems to align very similarly to both mine and Ellis’. We also love that this franchise allows for some creativity and some individuality of the individual operators. 

Also, who doesn't like to feel like they're on vacation? What better place to achieve that feeling than when you’re eating seafood; you feel like you’re near the beach even if it’s just a random Wednesday afternoon.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Farr: Our first goal is to create that beach vibe. We want people to come check it out and see it as a place they can come and hang out, watch the game on Saturdays, have some good food and bring the family in during the week. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Wells: I think one of the things that people might find interesting about Ellis and I is that we've been friends for a long time, almost 20 years now, and we actually are on a barbecue cooking team together. We have some experience serving food and being around people, and we thoroughly enjoy that. We enter competitions every once in a while, and that's been a lot of fun. It’s also taught us that we can work well together. 

I'm a cancer survivor, which is something that I'm very proud of. It’s been almost nine years, and it has completely changed my perspective on life. A lot of times when you go through an ordeal like that and you face immense challenges, it makes you think about how small some other challenges really are. Although this is a challenge for us going into business ownership, it's a challenge that we're going to meet and exceed. At the end of the day, I think what Ellis and I want to do is bring a really neat place to Columbia where people can have a good time, get food at a good price and be treated well. 

Farr: I enjoyed my previous river conservation work and had pride in keeping South Carolina beautiful. Over the last 15 years, I've enjoyed working with churches and helping them build ministry. What I want to do, particularly as I'm now over 50, is simply enjoy what I do. This has given me the opportunity to do that. There is obviously going to be a lot of work and some challenges ahead, but I don't know that I've ever looked forward to a career change as much as I have this one.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a Franchise Owner?

Wells: Just have patience with the process.

Farr:  Shuckin’ Shack has been terrific to work with through the learning process and all of the franchise documents. Just know your brand. My advice would be to know who you're going into business with and be sure that the values align with your own values and goals.

ABOUT SHUCKIN' SHACK: 

Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar grew out of a vision for a local establishment that would appeal to families of all ages. A place where friends and family can enjoy fresh, delicious meals and creative cocktails in an environment that exudes relaxation. Shuckin' Shack offers its guests a "lifestyle experience" in addition to exceptional seafood. The brand started as a 900-square-foot shack in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, in 2007 and began franchising in 2014. Today, Shuckin' Shack has grown to 19 locations across seven states. To learn more about Shuckin’ Shack, visit http://www.theshuckinshack.com.