How Grégoire’s Model Allows for Business Ownership with No Experience Needed

As Grégoire restaurant expands into the franchising space, founder and chef Grégoire Jacquet made sure to create a streamlined and easily operable model for even the most novice restaurateur. An experienced chef trained in France, Jacquet worked in high-end kitchens internationally and has opened several restaurants. He knows a great deal goes into it and wants to help eliminate most of the hassle of owning a business on the franchisor side.

Grégoire is an excellent opportunity to own a restaurant, even for someone who has never worked in the industry before. Because the brand will handle much of the logistics, the only cuisine-related experience he expects from new franchisees is a “passion for food, a respect and understanding of food, and love for eating it.”

Once the franchise finds someone who is a good fit and has the drive and capital to open a Grégoire, Jacquet and his team will walk them through each step of building the business.

“We have already created the projections and the model and can pass those on to them. Also, I have connections with real estate experts, local builders, architects and kitchen designers that we will introduce them to. The pieces are already in place,” Jacquet said.

Franchisors don’t need to know how to cook; they must simply run the business. Much of the business has been streamlined by Jacquet, and he will be training them on all the logistics. Things like invoicing are all automated, and the brand takes care of most of the prep work for the food in its central hub kitchen. All franchisees must do is keep inventory and order fresh ingredients daily through the Grégoire app.

With the central kitchen model handling much of the kitchen work and the restaurant's small, intimate carry-out atmosphere, owners will not need to train a large staff. The eatery can operate with three or four employees, Jacquet explained.

“We have built a model with a lot of ongoing support from the brand that they'll have available to them. The support is going to be there every day,” he added. “I think it’s a great convincing factor for people that are maybe hesitant because they lack experience. This is a model where they can jump right in, learn everything, and have enough backbone support.”

French-trained chef Grégoire Jacquet had a vision of a local restaurant offering quality fine dining-style food with the convenience of a quick carry-out experience. In 2002, Grégoire opened its doors as the first fine-fast-casual restaurant concept that serves gourmet sandwich and salad dishes, its famous potato puffs and scratch-daily fresh-made french fries, all served in a custom-designed take-out box. After two decades of serving the local Berkley, CA community, Grégoire has launched franchising opportunities in the Greater Bay Area.