---
title: "QSR: Why it Pays to Give Franchisees Freedom to Innovate"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/cfd45563-2d2d-49aa-9cd6-e0dc22c7897a
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/qsr-why-it-pays-to-give-franchisees-freedom-to-innovate-2711729
category: "QSR"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "QSR"
published: 2019-11-27T20:15:35.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:29:02.519Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/a21bedb73a9ad1f12fe6cd38c5e57118419.jpg
---

# QSR: Why it Pays to Give Franchisees Freedom to Innovate

**TL;DR:** Fuzzy's Taco Shop allows franchisees to innovate and connect with their communities, leading to loyal customers. The brand gives franchisees freedom in music and wall decor while maintaining its traditional Baja-style Mexican vibe.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-11-27. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/qsr-why-it-pays-to-give-franchisees-freedom-to-innovate-2711729).*

## Story

**Franchising is more commonly built on brand consistency. However,** **according to QSR****,** **Fuzzy’s Taco Shop** **quickly discovered that allowing their franchisees some freedom in music and wall decor builds a connection to their community and leads to loyal customers.**

**“From the start, it’s been important to us that our franchisees make their restaurants their restaurants,” Laura Purser, vice president of marketing for** **Fuzzy’s Taco Shop** **tells QSR. “The franchisees know their communities best and should be able to incorporate items in their restaurants to reflect what’s important to them and their guests.”**

**All while sticking to the traditional Fuzzy’s Taco Shop Baja-style Mexican vibe, one will more often than not discover local sports jerseys and other memorabilia on the walls.**

**“The majority of our franchisees have come from the dining experiences. They never forget their first time at a Fuzzy's Taco Shop,” says Michael Mabry, chief development officer of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop. “This approach bleeds back into what we're supporting and encouraging our franchisees to do: To really give their restaurants local feel and allow them to put their fingerprints on it.”**

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- innovation (topic)
- Fuzzy's Taco Shop (company)
- Michael Mabry (person)
- brand consistency (topic)
- community connection (topic)
- franchisee freedom (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/qsr-why-it-pays-to-give-franchisees-freedom-to-innovate-2711729). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/cfd45563-2d2d-49aa-9cd6-e0dc22c7897a).