Why Famous Toastery Franchisees Feel Like Family

Famous Toastery, the 26-unit, North Carolina-based franchise, has made a name for itself by offering the freshest breakfast, brunch and lunch offerings in its segment. Since starting in North Carolina in 2005 and franchising in 2013, the brand has aimed to provide not only uncompromisingly fresh and decadent meals but a hub for friends, families and neighbors to get together. With this approach in place, the Famous Toastery team has become a family in-and-of-itself, and franchisee Patrick McManaman is a prime example. 

Growing up in Michigan, McManaman began his educational career at Lansing Community College, studying Fire Science. Through his studies, he trained as a firefighter and an emergency medical technician, where he met his wife, Charlotte, who was also in the medical field. The couple moved around for a few years before deciding to make North Carolina their new permanent residence after Charlotte got a job in Huntersville. During this time, McManaman decided to become a stay-at-home father to their three children Luke, Violet and Jake, working diligently toward his master’s degree in health services from an online program.

“I was burned out with my career as an EMT at that point,” said McManaman. “I became a stay-at-home dad after my second son was born, but my wife and I had always thought it’d be fun to own our own business.”

One morning while dining at one of his family’s go-to restaurants, Famous Toastery, McManaman saw a table set up with information about the brand’s franchise opportunity. He had always enjoyed the family atmosphere of Famous Toastery, and with the idea of business ownership in the back of his mind, he took it upon himself and spoke with Robert Maynard and Brian Burchill. 

“Rob, Brian and I are the same age,” said McManaman. “So, we clicked right off the bat and it felt like old college buddies getting together. It never felt corporate. We knew we could go to them with any question and they would be there for us. That made my wife and I really interested in purchasing the franchise.”

McManaman signed on to open Famous Toastery near the University of North Carolina in 2014. Right away, McManaman says it wasn’t just the typical franchisee-franchisor business. Instead, it was more like a family business, with the corporate team and franchisees all pitching in to help each other in any way possible. 

“For example, during the pandemic, the corporate team waived our royalty fee because they knew everyone was struggling,” said McManaman. “They did it for six to eight months, and then never asked us to pay it back. They understand what we are going through. To have that kind of support behind you told us that they really do care. It's not just all about the money. They know we have families and we have employees of our own to support.”

In addition to corporate support, McManaman says this family-oriented approach also trickles down to the restaurant level. “Our staff is family,” he said. “Using the pandemic again as an example — we started payin.g them more than what they would have gotten regularly because we wanted to keep them. When the stores closed for a while, we handed out food from our walk-in so employees could take it back to their families. Our kitchen staff ended up staying with us throughout the whole pandemic. One of my senior team members started at 17 and is now 23. We really rely on them, just like a family.”

Mike Sebazco, President of Famous Toastery, says the team is proud to call McManaman family and has enjoyed watching him expand his business over the years.

“Patrick has been with Famous Toastery for nearly a decade and we look forward to what the next 10 years hold,” said Sebazco. “We want to have a family-like atmosphere in all of our restaurants, and without the right people in place, we can’t do that. Patrick is a great example of how our franchisees can join our family and create a family of their own within the four walls of their restaurant.”

Now, for other candidates who want to join the family, Famous Toastery aims to have 50 locations open or under development by the end of 2024. Five to seven deals will be in North Carolina, and the rest in South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Florida.

The cost to open a Famous Toastery franchise ranges from $575,500 to $999,500, including a franchise fee starting at $45,000. To learn about franchising opportunities, please visit www.bestbreakfastfranchise.com.