Former Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl Champion Finds Success in Franchising with Stacked Pickle

Like most retired football players, Gary Brackett was at a loss on how to spend his time after retirement. He started his football career as a walk-on at Rutgers University, before joining the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played for the Colts for nine seasons as a linebacker and became a Super Bowl Champion after beating the Chicago Bears in 2007.

When he retired in 2011, he wasn’t used to the slower pace and missed having a routine. He spent a lot of time relaxing, golfing and celebrating his great career, until one day, his three-year-old son, Gary Jr., asked him, “What are you going to do when you grow up?”

Franchise growth strategy

Inspired, Brackett decided to go back to school and start preparing for his life in entrepreneurship. He earned his MBA from George Washington University, and then signed a deal to become a franchisee of one of the big sports bar franchises. But, after feeling pressured to open one of the brand’s next generation restaurants, at a much higher price point than other models, he realized it wasn’t the brand for him and ended his agreement.

Fast forward 2011, when he met Chris Long, the founder of Stacked Pickle, an Indianapolis-based neighborhood sports bar with two locations at the time. Brackett fell in love with the food, the focus on the local community and the family-friendly atmosphere, so he became a silent partner in the business. Before long, he realized how the value of Stacked Pickle could stack up against other, pricier franchises in the sports bar space, and eventually bought Long out in 2014.

Brackett grew the brand to nine corporate locations, all in Central Indiana, and implemented systems, created an operations “playbook” and hired the right team members to prepare the brand for growth through franchising.

“The main differentiator of the Stacked Pickle is its price point within the crowded sports restaurant franchise segment. The average investment for a Stacked Pickle is well below $1 million, which is incredibly low for a full-service restaurant,” said Brackett. “Plus, since we aren’t solely focused on wings or burgers, our menu attracts a wide client base. Our food is fresh, never frozen. Every menu item is cooked to order, and our wings, tenders, and other fried items are all breaded by hand. That attention to detail in the sports restaurant environment is uncommon.”

Another differentiator for Stacked Pickle is its culture. Brackett explains that sports is a great unifier within the community, and the brand provides a place that families can come to enjoy a meal together, teams can come to celebrate after a big game, and local organizations can leverage to help with fundraising efforts.

Expansion plans

So far, Brackett has signed agreements with two franchisees, one in Houston and one in Orlando. Additionally, the brand has garnered interest in St. Louis, Colorado, and is in discussions with Indianapolis Airport. Brackett plans to open the 10th corporate location in Dayton in February of 2019. So far, he has not had much trouble fielding inquiries.

“Our Orlando franchisee found us on the internet when he was researching franchise opportunities, and fell in love with our brand. We found a great second generation, turnkey location for him, which lowered his investment costs exponentially,” said Brackett. “In Houston, we have real estate options as well. We are doing our due diligence on procuring a building as the franchisee has decided he wants to own his store outright..”

Former Five Guys and Uncle Maddio’s executive Scott Goodrich joined Stacked Pickle this year as Chief Operating Officer.

“After my experience growing two major franchise brands, I was drawn to Stacked Pickle, because it is uniquely positioned in the marketplace. It carries a fast casual level investment, but in a full service restaurant dining model,” said Goodrich. “We expect franchisees to make their investment back in three years, which is not the norm in casual dining. The brand’s unit-level economics, scalability and various dayparts that attract a diverse clientele make it incredibly attractive to prospective franchisees.”

Target franchisees

Brackett and his team have identified two target audiences for franchise prospects: the first franchisee archetype is an Entrepreneur or “Coach In The Community,” and the second franchisee archetype is a transitioning athlete. An Entrepreneur or “Coach In The Community, is an individual who may have spent some time in a corporate environment, wants to be in business for him or herself, and is looking for an investment he or she can scale in their local market. A former pro-athlete himself, Gary is also focused on helping transitioning professional athletes who are looking for their next step after their retirement from sports.

“Our plan for growth is to find franchisees in key markets, and grow in a hub and spoke fashion from those markets,” said Brackett. “We’re looking to continue growing in Indiana, specifically in Fort Wayne, Mishawaka, Columbus, and potentially Evansville. Our goal is to sign four more deals before the end of 2018, and 10 deals next year. We are planning to have 14 franchised locations open by the third quarter of 2019.”

Unlike other brands in the space, Stacked Pickle does sell single units, but offers incentives to sign a multi-unit agreement. Investment ranges from $425,550 to $939,850, with a franchise fee of $40,000, but is discounted for a three-pack ($90,000 total franchise fee), and a five-pack ($150,000 total franchise fee). The brand also offers a 10 percent discount on the franchise fee for veterans.

“When I was figuring out my next step after football, I wasn’t just thinking about providing for myself and for my family. I was thinking long-term and wanted to set my children up for success,” said Brackett. “You can’t leave a job to your kids, but you can buy a franchise and leave a legacy for your children.”