In what ways have you innovated within the confines of the franchise model to drive success in your units?

Franchise model innovations

Although franchisees operate within a larger franchise system, they also have the autonomy to make decisions that drive the success of their individual businesses. Franchise Update spoke with several restaurant owners about how they innovate within the franchise model to strengthen their operations and achieve greater success at the local level. With franchise restaurants being part of a larger, national brand, many operators make a deliberate effort to build strong connections within their local communities.

They do so through partnerships, grassroots marketing, community involvement, local events, and support for area organizations. These efforts not only foster goodwill and strengthen community ties but also help introduce new customers to the brand and create lasting relationships within the market. Other franchisees said their innovation comes from working closely with the franchisor to test new products, procedures, and concepts.

These initiatives might include a new menu item, flavor, or service approach. By serving as beta testers, franchisees can introduce these innovations to their customers, gather valuable feedback, and provide insights that can help determine whether they have potential for broader implementation across the franchise system. We all have certain people or events from earlier in our lives that have shaped our careers.

In this week’s Franchisee Bytes section, we asked multi-unit restaurant franchisees to reflect on the formative influences and experiences that helped shape their lives and careers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, parents were the most common response, with several franchisees pointing to their parents’ example as franchisees, immigrants to the United States, or both. See their responses below to learn more about the early experiences that helped shape the individuals they are today.

Multi unit franchisees

Sam Batt Company: Batt Enterprises Brands: 15 TCBY and 2 Mrs. Fields Years in Franchising: 16 I’ve always enjoyed working closely with TCBY to try new things while still protecting the brand. When we opened our first Charlotte location in 2010, we helped test the self-serve platform, so innovation and collaboration with the brand have been part of our relationship from the beginning.

At the unit level, we continue to test new flavors and concepts and share what we learn with the brand so it can potentially be scaled system-wide. We also keep an eye on where the broader dessert category is headed — trends like Dubai chocolate, for instance — and think about how we can make it work for our customers. Brad Steven Company: 3B Lodge Brands: 9 Twin Peaks Years in Franchising: 4 We look for opportunities to localize our approach while staying true to the Twin Peaks brand.

Whether it’s community engagement, local partnerships, grassroots marketing, or tailoring our approach around major sporting events and market-specific opportunities, we empower our teams to understand what drives guests in their communities and act on it. Andrea Wells Company: Wells Pie Group Brands: 6 Your Pie Pizza Years in Franchising: 11 One of our brand pillars is strengthening the communities we serve, and that was something that drew us to the brand from the beginning. Over time, we’ve leaned even further into that pillar by finding ways to make community involvement not only part of our culture, but also part of our local store marketing strategy.

One way we’ve done that is through what we call “Spirit Nights.” We seek out organizations whose missions align with our values - local schools and sports teams, Girl Scout troops, food pantries, and other community organizations - and partner with them on fundraising events. We help market the event to their supporters, and a percentage of the event’s sales goes back to the organization.

It creates a win for everyone. The organization receives financial support and greater awareness, while we have an opportunity to introduce our restaurant to guests who may not have visited us otherwise. From there, it’s our responsibility to impress them with our hospitality, food, and operations so that someone who initially came in to support an organization becomes a loyal customer.

Our goal is to host at least one of these partnerships each month at every location. It allows us to innovate within the franchise model by taking an established brand value and finding a consistent, locally focused way to turn it into meaningful community impact and sustainable business growth. Moe Moustafa Company: LES Wings Partners Brands: 3 Atomic Wings Years in Franchising: 5 Rather than going off on my own, I try to work within the system, since Atomic Wings has built a strong model.

The brand has been around for more than 30 years, and even though franchising is newer, the infrastructure is solid, and we're built to handle high volume as the brand grows. Where I add value is by working closely with leadership, including the founder, Zak Omar, to test new flavors and bring back real customer feedback that shapes what ends up on the menu. It's less about breaking from the model and more about being a hands-on partner in refining it.

Amy Boesen Company: AK89 LLC Brands: 6 Rock N Roll Sushi Years in Franchising: 21 We look for creative ways to bring the RNR Sushi brand to life within our local, small-town communities. While remaining consistent with the brand’s core identity and standards, we tailor how we engage our teams and guests to make each restaurant feel locally connected. For example, we create opportunities for team members to experience new products firsthand so they can promote them authentically and build excitement among guests.

That local mindset, combined with our willingness to adapt quickly and find solutions when challenges arise, has helped us make the brand feel relevant and special in each community we serve. Franchisee Bytes What are some formative influences or events in your life or career? **My father, who spent 50 years with IHOP.

Having the ability to be around someone with that much industry knowledge at a young age was extremely beneficial. He worked his way through corporate America and achieved the dream of owning a business. That gave me a great foundation and understanding that doing things the right way and working hard are what ultimately get you to your goals.

The values I learned from both my mom and dad are that faith and family are the most important. Those values continue to drive me today.** -Alex Anthraper, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Anthraper Restaurants, 22 IHOP, 1 Applebee's **The most influential event in my life was coming to the U.

S. from Pakistan for school. I went through extreme culture shock and missed my family immensely.

This experience deeply humbled me and pushed me to take life much more seriously to make the move worth it.** -Nadeem Bajwa, Co-founder and CEO, Bajco Group, 270+ Papa Johns **We didn’t have a lot growing up, but my parents set a tremendous example. I was raised in an Air Force family, and my parents taught me the importance of discipline, structure, and doing my best.

Baseball and basketball taught me teamwork, and Boy Scouts helped shape my leadership skills. Becoming an Eagle Scout at 16 was a major milestone and helped instill the values of responsibility, service, and perseverance.** -Brian Bailey, CEO, Team Bailey, 160 Domino's **As a franchise owner himself, my father instilled in us the importance of guest experience, discipline, time management, and truly valuing the team.

He also taught us how to dream big, work hard, remain united, and do things the right way.** -Ali Lakhany, Chief Executive Officer, 141 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, 11 Tim Hortons, 2 Andy’s Frozen Custard, 118 T-Mobile, 4 LaPasha Mediterranean Lounge and Grill, 4 Marriott International and Hilton Hotels **My biggest influence has always been my parents. They started our family business back in 1993, and I learned early on the value of hard work, treating people right, and staying consistent.

** -Matt Davis, President, The Davis Restaurant Group dba the Honey Baked Ham Co., 22 Honey Baked Ham **Coming from a very modest household and being the first generation born in the U.S.

, I appreciated the risk my grandparents and parents took in 1975 when they immigrated from the small island of São Miguel, Portugal. Trying to imagine what they hoped for in the new world pushes me to make them proud of the accomplishments I can create after their humble journey.** -Andy Cabral, CEO, Vigario Management, 25 Dunkin’, 9 Baskin-Robbins **I played college football at the University of Georgia, so my time growing up on the football field was an incredibly formative experience for me.

I continue to apply the lessons I learned in teamwork, leadership, and grind to my career in the restaurant industry every day.** -David Weeks, CEO, The Bean Team, 9 Barberitos, 8 Dunkin’, 4 Newk’s Eatery, 1 Dunkin’/Newk’s co-brand **My parents were immigrants and instilled family values, like an unrelenting work ethic. I learned business from a young age through both wins and painful lessons.

One of the biggest wins for our family was when my parents made generational progress by going from employees to becoming franchisees. It showed me firsthand the power of entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and the freedom that comes with building something of your own.