GSR Brands Selects 919 Marketing Company to Lead National Franchise Development Content Marketing Programs

919 Marketing will lead national franchise development initiatives for both of the company’s brands in the United States.

“My family has operated Gold Star Chili since its inception in 1965, and Tom & Chee has been a great addition to our brand family,” said Roger David, president and CEO of GSR Brands. “We appreciate that 919 is also a family run business. They understand the pride, the passion, and the dedication it takes to build a powerhouse brand family.

“Moreover, they can deliver the marketing analytics solution we require to ensure our franchise development marketing investment is based on facts, not assumptions. With 919 Insights we are able to identify, reach and engage the right kind of candidates to accelerate our national sales footprint.”

As CEO of Gold Star Chili, David created GSR Brands in 2019 to encompass both Gold Star Chili and Tom & Chee, which the brand acquired in 2017. GSR Brands stands for Gold Star Restaurants.

Gold Star Chili, founded over 50 years ago, has developed an enormous following in the Cincinnati, Ohio, metropolitan area, serving comfort food with family-style hospitality. The brand is poised to break out of its Cincinnati stronghold and expand across the Midwest with its new streamlined menu, updated restaurant design, and a proven business model that allows their franchisees to thrive for decades.

Tom & Chee, also started in Cincinnati, has expanded to more than 12 locations across seven states. According to David, “Tom & Chee is dedicated to continuing its trajectory of growth and creating a new category in the sandwich space.” Consumers are drawn to nostalgic favorites such as grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, in a unique menu comprising food made in-house. Franchisees enjoy a simplified business model, state-of-the-art training and technology, a new menu and restaurant design, and great leadership from GSR Brands’ 50-plus years in the franchise industry.

“We’re very excited about the opportunity to work with Roger and the GSR team to tell their brand story to the world,” said David Chapman, 919 Marketing’s Founder and CEO. “We share a passion for growing franchise brands and using behavioral data to reach and convert the right kind of prospects into candidates.”

Serving the franchising industry for more than a decade, 919 is ranked by INC. as the fastest-growing franchise content marketing and PR agency in the country. 919 Insights, the franchise industry’s exclusive AI-powered data analytics platform, uncovers and tracks actual buyer engagement and conversion on your brand website and social media platforms, and the platforms of your major competitors.

The resulting buyer intelligence powers 919’s in-house franchise content marketing services; brand strategy and messaging, LINK® strategic planning and research, CEO branding, crisis communications, national and local market PR, social media marketing, organic and paid search, creative services, and full-scale video production.