--- title: "5 Reasons Why 'Wichcraft Is a Great Investment for Franchisees in the Fast Casual Segment" url: https://burnaze.com/article/0857914d-025e-4dae-85b3-60ac8247fecf source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/5-reasons-why-wichcraft-is-a-great-investment-for-franchisees-in-the-fast-casual-segment-2711775 category: "Fast casual" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Fast casual" published: 2019-12-04T21:16:20.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:10:37.994Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/b48c498a9f0fb6763b8dbe7bfe7648f74205.jpg --- # 5 Reasons Why 'Wichcraft Is a Great Investment for Franchisees in the Fast Casual Segment **TL;DR:** Wichcraft is seeking qualified franchisees to help continue its growth, with a goal of 10 locations purchased before next year and 25 locations by the end of 2021. The brand offers a unique sandwich concept with a focus on culinary excellence, sustainability, and healthy eating. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-12-04. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/5-reasons-why-wichcraft-is-a-great-investment-for-franchisees-in-the-fast-casual-segment-2711775).* ## Key facts - 'Wichcraft has 5 locations and aims for 10 by 2020 - The brand emphasizes sustainable proteins and seasonal produce - Franchisees receive best-in-class support from the leadership team ## Story When seven-time James Beard Award-winning Tom Colicchio and chef Sisha Ortúzar opened the first ’Wichcraft in 2003, the goal was to stay true to their rich culinary backgrounds. Through the use of sustainable proteins, house-made condiments, balanced flavor combinations, seasonal produce and artisan bread, the chefs crafted a menu that elevated the simple sandwich into a gourmet meal. ‘Wichcraft currently has five restaurant locations opened, including three legacy locations and two refreshed 2.0 locations. Now, the brand is looking for qualified franchisees to help continue growth , with a clearly stated goal of 10 locations purchased before next year and 25 locations by the end of 2021. ## Culinary Excellence The ‘Wichcraft founder, celebrity chef and seven-time James Beard Award winner Tom Colicchio has a long history of culinary excellence. Before becoming a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef , Colicchio gained experience at iconic New York City establishments like Mondrian and the Quilted Giraffe, co-founding the Michelin-rated Gramercy Tavern in 1994. With the goal of bringing a chef-level quality of fine dining to a wider audience, Colicchio founded Crafted Hospitality in 2001 before launching the premier sandwich concept, ‘Wichcraft, with Ortúzar in 2003. “We create unique, bold flavor profiles that hit across the spectrum,” said Dave MonDore, Culinary Operations Director and chef at ‘Wichcraft. “Our goal is to offer something more sophisticated; a menu that has a little more thought put into it. We’re proud of that. We take the wining and dining experience of a two-hour dinner and deliver it in three minutes.” ‘Wichcraft’s emphasis on culinary excellence has certainly proved to be successful, with MonDore’s chicken and cauliflower sandwich landing the title of The Best Sandwich in America by Restaurant Hospitality in 2017 . To serve the best, ‘Wichcraft starts with the best, sourcing sustainable proteins and seasonal produce from partners who know their product as well as their kitchen. “‘Wichcraft elevates the sandwich sector by offering a healthy, creative and environmentally-conscious meal,” said ‘Wichcraft president Dan Guaricci. “The key to our success is using smart sourcing. We work with small family farms that share our values in producing what is good for both the planet and for the body.” ## Market Trends As the cultural focus on healthier, more sustainable eating continues to align with increased purchasing power from the millennial consumer, ‘Wichcraft offers a chance for franchisees to fill a gap in the fast casual marketplace. Last year, Inc. reported that 73% of global millennials will pay more for sustainable products and 66% of global consumers overall will pay for more sustainable options. The prominent market research firm Nielsen deemed 2018 “The Year of the Sustainable Shopper,” predicting that the sustainability market will reach $150 billion by 2021 . “We source our bacon from specific farms that properly raise their animals with no hormones,” said MonDore. “Everything, from how we source it to how we smoke it, is thoughtful. We use only sustainably-sourced fish from family-owned fisheries . Everything we do is purpose-driven.” According to Technomic’s 2018 Consumer Trend Report, health and sustainability concerns are defining the sandwich segment , with most 18-to 34-year-old consumers considering factors such as healthfulness, special-diet accommodations and the use of sustainably sourced ingredients in their purchasing decisions. ## Franchisee Support In addition to Colicchio, ‘Wichcraft’s leadership team includes Chef & Culinary Director, Dave MonDore, as well as Deloitte alumna Maryrose Galvez as Director of Finance. ‘Wichcraft president Guaricci himself has served in executive leadership roles in the foodservice industry for nearly a decade. “ The ‘Wichcraft executive team is uniquely composed of passionate professionals who know what it takes to develop a top-tier sandwich brand in the most competitive market in the nation,” said Guaricci. “Now, we’re looking for franchisees who demonstrate that same passion.” Franchisees joining the ‘Wichcraft system can expect best-in-class support from Colicchio and the ‘Wichcraft team , including from Training & Development Manager Judith Neyman. In addition, the team will position franchisees to drive innovation across the fast casual industry while simultaneously providing a lucrative business model—the average gross sales of reporting ‘Wichcraft locations in 2018 totaled an impressive $1.35 million. “‘Wichcraft will provide the skills and resources necessary, through our franchise team, to keep up with consumer, culinary and service expectations,” said Galvez. “Our support is available from the start, assisting with layout and equipment specs, product and vendor sourcing and training. We’ll also plan perform one-on-one catch-ups with franchisees, quarterly franchisee update calls, and an annual franchise summit in New York.” ## Business Growth The growing popularity of third-party delivery and online ordering has created a demand for high-quality delivery and catering within the foodservice space. With partners like Grubhub, Seamless, Uber and Doordash, ‘Wichcraft is able to get orders out to customers further, faster and cheaper. “There couldn’t be a better time to become a franchise partner with ‘Wichcraft,” said Guaricci. “Our brand is leading the charge in terms of defying and redefining the fast casual space, powered by the ever-growing demand of a conscientious consumer. That’s a recipe for success.” “As our menus change, we’ll support and train franchisees in the launch of new items and innovative offerings,” said Galvez. “The ‘Wichcraft concept has managed to drive innovation across the fast casual industry as well as provide impressive average gross sales for current operations.” The ‘Wichcraft concept has managed to infuse serious culinary innovation into the fast casual industry as well as provide impressive average gross sales for current operations. “Our operations model is made for efficiency and profitability,” said Galvez. “We’ve built, tweaked and executed our operations, from the kitchen to our corporate office, so that we have an optimized system that has proven to be successful. With a great foundation, our team works diligently to consistently monitor our operations.” ‘Wichcraft’s leadership has identified key growth markets along the eastern corridor of Massachusetts down to North Carolina for strategic franchise development, honing in on the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic region due to high office-worker traffic. Franchisees will enjoy first-mover advantage while contributing to the brand’s competitive growth goals, including 10 locations sold before the end of 2020 and 25 open by the end of 2021. ‘Wichcraft currently has five restaurant locations opened, including three legacy locations and two refreshed, 2.0 locations. The brand has a confident and established timeframe for the future, with a clearly stated goal of 10 locations purchased before next year and 25 locations by the end of 2021. The investment range to open a ‘Wichcraft is $927,500 to $1.194 million, estimated with New York City costs, with a $45,000 franchise fee. For more information about franchising opportunities with ‘Wichcraft, please visit . ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - franchise expansion (topic) - franchisee support (topic) - DoorDash (company) - Grubhub (company) - Technomic (company) - Uber (company) - Deloitte (company) - fast-casual segment (topic) - sustainable eating (topic) - culinary excellence (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/5-reasons-why-wichcraft-is-a-great-investment-for-franchisees-in-the-fast-casual-segment-2711775). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/0857914d-025e-4dae-85b3-60ac8247fecf).