Young Ones to Watch: Zak Omar, CEO of Atomic Wings

This month, 1851 Franchise is highlighting young, up-and-coming professionals in the franchise industry about what makes franchising such a viable career option. Zak Omar, CEO of wing franchise Atomic Wings*, says that the industry’s ability to provide consumers with products they love allows it to thrive — and continue to attract new prospective franchisees.

1851 Franchise: How did you get into franchising?

Zak Omar: I got into franchising around 2012 when the opportunity to own a couple of Dunkin's in Maryland came up when it was a brand-new market. Growing up, my dad would always take us there for donuts. He has a background in the food industry, and I have a background in IT. I saved up to make an investment and be part of a franchise, which I thought would be tremendous for my future. 

Going into it, I didn't know how many hours I would actually spend involved in the restaurant itself. I was working on Wall Street at the same time, and I made sure I was doing everything my employees were. Being able to lean on franchises that had the recipes down makes the whole process foolproof. Eventually, I became a full-time franchisee as we opened up more locations. 

The founder of Atomic Wings reached out to me about becoming a master franchisee in the Maryland market. I realized there was an opening to purchase the company and an opportunity to take the company further. I purchased the company in 2016 when it had two brick-and-mortar stores. Now, we have 11 stores that have grown organically and 16 contracts signed for new locations. I saw the future of Atomic Wings in the great product, from the recipe manual to the operational manual, and from a franchise perspective it was ready to go and easy to serve the same great food at all locations.

1851: What do you love about the industry? 

Omar: I like the uniformity. We’ve become a country that’s traveling all the time, and we all have comfort foods. I like knowing that there’s going to be consistency in my food and my preference. It’s helpful to know the model has been proven somewhere.

In the restaurant industry, it’s easier to learn what people prefer and what they expect as opposed to opening a mom-and-pop shop and having to do that work yourself. Opening a franchise, there’s less research on that front involved. Plus, you have a network of franchisees and franchisors to learn from. As a franchisor myself, I make sure to be available for the franchisee to answer any questions that they have.

1851: What makes someone a good fit for the franchise industry? 

Omar: Someone that is a self-starter, hard-working, able to motivate others and able to manage people through customer service or their own employees. The key is building relationships and being able to work in a team environment that treats every guest like family.

1851: Are there traits that are shared by the most successful franchise professionals you know?

Omar: Like I said, you have to be a self-starter. What are you doing when someone’s not managing you? Are you still working diligently? Also, you have to be analytical and make decisions based on reports. As a franchisee, you could be working in the kitchen or checking in on the health of the restaurant financially. It’s important to be able to multitask. It’s really about being able to be a wildcard and put yourself in any position within the restaurant and have the knowledge of how to do so. 

1851: How do you feel about the industry's response to the coronavirus crisis so far? 

Omar: In the QSR space, the response has been tremendous. Everything that had to be done, had to be done on the fly — getting masks and hand sanitizer, plexiglass dividers and being prepared to check employees’ temperatures daily. Obviously it’s still ongoing and the response is still happening, but franchisees have been very nimble and have reacted fast. The industry is shifting and adjusting to become more of a carryout space.

1851: Are there challenges or opportunities that the industry still needs to address?

Omar: COVID-19 has changed the way a lot of us do business in the restaurant industry — opening more drive-thru locations and becoming primary delivery and takeout. These third-party delivery services are killing business, and the amount of commission they’re taking from restaurants is really excessive. NYC did a tremendous thing and capped the fees third parties were able to charge, and that is what has been able to keep small businesses running. Overall, there needs to be more legislation along those lines regarding what they can and can’t do. In all of this, a lot of QSR companies are becoming tech companies; they're developing apps and advanced drive-thru models and in some spaces even digitizing them.

As a result of COVID-19 everyone has had to readjust and take a look at their business model to see where they'd like to be in the future. 

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

Omar: You’re gonna make mistakes — don’t dwell on those. Surround yourself with great people, and they should be guiding you in the right direction. Work with folks who bring something to your organization, and if you have a great concept people are going to be throwing themselves at you.