How Fuzzy’s Taco Shop’s Vice President of Supply Chain Lowers Costs for Franchisees

From paper napkins to walk-in coolers, everything that a Fuzzy’s Taco Shop purchases is now negotiated and procured by Samir Wattar, Vice President of Supply Chain.

“My goal is to be an advocate for our franchisees,” said Wattar. “They signed up with Fuzzy’s so that they don’t have to worry about this stuff. That’s where I come in and try to save money wherever I can.”

Wattar came to Fuzzy’s in January 2019 with more than 20 years of experience with franchise brands. “I was impressed with the growth trajectory Fuzzy’s has been on for the last four years,” he said. “Most of it is internal growth—franchisees building more restaurants. When you see that, you know the brand is successful.”

Fuzzy’s didn’t previously have a full-time staffer in the supply chain role so, armed with his decades of experience, Wattar dove in head-first to see what he could accomplish.

“When I came to Fuzzy’s, I needed to understand the brand and what it’s all about,” he said. “I spent 10 days in the restaurant and kitchen touching every piece of equipment, making every recipe and putting an action plan into place regarding my focuses for the first year.”

Wattar’s plan of attack had one overarching goal in mind: make life and business easier for Fuzzy’s franchisees all around the country.

“With everything I do, I think about the end-user,” said Wattar. “When I do that, it makes it easier to assure franchisees or operators that I’ve done my homework and show how my suggestions are going to positively impact their restaurants.”

In less than seven months, Wattar and his team have been able to renegotiate several contracts on high-volume items, including the brand’s brisket and shrimp. “Between the two, we are now saving $600,000 annually,” he said.

His time in franchising certainly comes in handy when building meaningful connections in the industry. “Supply chain is about relationships. We’re loyal, we take care of our partners and we treat them with respect,” he said. “Everybody is in business to make money. I’m saving Fuzzy’s money while they are making money. I am sure we can meet in the middle.”

Wattar is also working toward a 15% negotiated savings on an equipment package as well as sourcing takeout packaging to be more environmentally-friendly while also cutting costs.

“Everything we are doing is ‘like for like’—or better—whether in equipment or food,” said Wattar. “‘How can we get the same product, or a better one, for less money?’ Anybody can find cheaper prices—but my goal is to maintain or improve at lower prices.”

Since he’s taken the helm of the department, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop franchisees are totally on board. Wattar sends proposals to the Franchise Advisory Council, a body of elected franchisee representatives, for approval before he moves forward with negotiations. “After presenting what this department is doing at my first meeting with the Franchise Advisory Council, I feel I have their trust and they have confidence in me,” said Wattar. “It’s all a matter of trust and knowing that I’m an extension of them.”