Can Mrs. Fields and TCBY Grow Again? New Leader Rich Screnci Thinks So

After all, he spent nearly four and a half years at Restaurant Brands International, where he served as head of restaurant operations for Tim Hortons U.S. and previously worked as manager of brand standards for Burger King U.S. and Canada.

So just as much as anyone else, he recognizes the undertaking of becoming executive director of Famous Brands International, the business behind widely recognizable dessert chains Mrs. Fields and TCBY.

Brand History

“Being able to work with two brands that people have grown up with, that they cherish, was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. And then obviously the chance to lead them into their next chapter—build on everything that’s made them successful so far, and then continue to find guests where they are and meet them where they’re at and work with franchisees obviously is a huge aspect for me too,” Screnci says.

Mrs. Fields was founded in 1977 while TCBY came along in 1981. Together, the two brands have over 275 shops worldwide across the U.S. and international markets such as Canada, Australia, China, Morocco, Panama, Taiwan, Qatar, and The Bahamas.

In the U.S. specifically, Mrs. Fields finished 2025 with 98 franchise shops, down 15 units year-over-year. TCBY ended last year with 115 domestic locations, a decrease of 10 stores year-over-year.

Much of his tenure thus far has been listening to customers’ memories, which is particularly relevant this year since TCBY is celebrating its 45th anniversary. Screnci—who has heard about sweet treats after school or following games—believes the two chains can build on these connections.

But it’s more than just an emotional play.

“Throughout my career I’ve been part of so many initiatives and brands that really tried to focus on simplifying operations. But few concepts hit simplification like TCBY and Mrs. Fields,” Screnci says. “So we have a model that can really scale. It’s a strong foundation for veteran franchisees, but also new franchisees. And ultimately that model delivers a great product and a great guest experience. So if you can combine those two things, the brand strength with the op strength, it’s two things that we can really build and really grow upon.”

Growth Strategy

One of Screnci’s initial priorities is for both brands to return to sustainable growth.

Mrs. Fields and TCBY once had a much larger presence worldwide. When Capricorn Investors purchased TCBY in 2000—after having acquired Mrs. Fields four years earlier—TCBY had over 3,000 shops globally and Mrs. Fields had approximately 530.

By 2013, when Z Capital was in control, Mrs. Fields had 358 units and TCBY had 518. When Pearl Street Equity took over in 2023, the two combined for over 350 units systemwide.

“We’re going to take what made these brands special and then just get back on the path to growth,” Screnci says. “When we think about Mrs. Fields, that means continuing to meet guests wherever they choose to engage with us—historically built on a really strong retail footprint and a gifting business.

Those are strengths. There’s still people getting together. There’s still people sending gifts for the holidays.

We want to make sure that we’re there, but we also have to make sure that we’re watching as consumer behavior continues to evolve, that we’re expanding across physical and digital channels, to be where the guests are. For TCBY, really, I walked into a lot of positive momentum—sales and traffic growing. We really need to take that growth and convert it into new units and new locations throughout the country.

TCBY, from my visit so far, does great, as would be expected at the heartbeat of the community. We believe if we could find more locations like that with our operation model, our unit economics, we can be attractive not just for existing franchisees to grow their portfolios, but to find new franchisees as well.”

Screnci has already put this growth priority into action. From day one on the job, he informed his team that he wanted to go out and meet face-to-face with franchisees. The purpose is simple—listen, gather feedback, and figure out what’s working and what’s not. He’s been on the road every week, and he has more trips planned for the future.

“There’s just no substitute for it, and it’s something that you have to do if you’re really going to guide their businesses into the next chapter, right?… The temperature that I’ve walked into has been really positive. People, you can tell, have a passion for the brands,” Screnci says.

“They want to see them grow, whether it’s their own portfolio, whether it’s new franchisees. Our current system believes in these brands, thinks that everything that was true when they signed is still true. So I’ve been very, very encouraged with what I’ve heard from them.

And we’ll continue to use them as a resource as we shape and grow these brands.”

Screnci also believes in Pearl Street’s leadership. He describes the ownership group as realistic about where the concepts are today, but equally optimistic about where they can go. The leadership team instructed Screnci to protect the legacy of TCBY and Mrs. Fields, but also challenge conventional thoughts and be aggressive on innovation where it makes sense.

For Screnci, a year from now, success looks like continued sales and traffic momentum and a healthy pipeline of franchisees eager to expand.

“People know exactly what Mrs. Fields is. They know exactly what TCBY is,” Screnci says. “We want to build on that foundation and then create a new chapter of growth that takes us into the future.”