Buffalo-cator Process Sets Up Franchisees for Site Success

It’s been real estate agents’ mantra for ages: location, location, location. And as countless business owners have discovered for themselves, a franchise’s locale is vital to its success.

Buffalo Wings & Rings understands this, which is why the company has made site selection a cornerstone of its franchisee support system.

Dan Doulen, director of franchise development at Buffalo Wings & Rings, detailed the tools the brand uses to ensure franchisees finds themselves operating in the ideal location.

Site selection tools

First, the company utilizes Nielsen SiteReports to find the most up-to-date info on local markets, as well as future demographic projections for areas throughout the U.S. The brand also makes use of ChainLinks Retail Advisors, a leading real estate service focused strictly on retail space that has a presence in more than 60 North American markets with 600-plus local market retail broker specialists.

“We also have a site ranking form we’ve developed throughout the years based on the most common traits of our most successful locations,” Doulen said.

The Buffalo-cation process, if you will, begins like this: Once a franchisee has signed on, Buffalo Wings & Rings shares site criteria with both the franchisee and their real estate broker. The brand works closely with them to study local markets from both a high-level and street-level vantage point.

Evaluation process

Once franchisees submit potential sites, Buffalo Wings & Rings evaluates them using their various tools and then travels to the local markets to tour the sites firsthand.

“Then the acceptable sites are presented to the executive team for final approval,” Doulen said.

The process is designed from the bottom up to streamline site selection for franchisees.

Franchisee support

“Most franchisees do not have real estate experience,” Doulen continued. “They depend on us to bring the experience and knowledge to ensure their success.”

This process didn’t just spring to life overnight, Doulen explained. It’s the culmination of years of site-selection experience, input from real estate professionals and industry best practices.

Together with franchisee support services encompassing construction, marketing, finance, training and more, Buffalo Wings & Rings’ site selection process is intended to start new franchisees off on the right foot and position them for profit – a win-win for everyone involved.