Why Charleys Was The Right Fit For My Store & My Customers

Mohammed Azam, a new franchisee at Charleys Cheesesteaks, began working in the convenience store sector in 2010 in a small town in Texas. He had a big, empty store and no experience, but Mohammed believed strongly that the industry could be a good fit for him.

In those early months, Mohammed let customer needs and feedback guide his business, and within just a few months, the store was profitable. He realized people in his stores were hungry – literally and figuratively – for more hot food options, so he introduced a quick-service restaurant and rapidly discovered that branded QSR and convenience stores go hand-in-hand.

Sixteen years later, Mohammed has built a network of 16 stores with two more in development. When he acquired a store in Springtown, Texas back in January, Mohammed began searching for his newest QSR partner and ultimately landed on Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings. We sat down with Mohammed to learn more about franchising from a convenience store owner’s perspective, his approach to QSR, and why he felt Charleys was the best fit for his new convenience store.

The main challenge is that you have two different retail models under one roof, and just slight negligence of either side can impact both. Cross-training your employees so they can deliver a quality experience from either side of the business, that’s a challenge too – although I’m continually surprised by how many of our employees just turn out to be naturals. Staffing in general can become challenging also because you have to account for the different patterns and peaks within the daily schedule.

But with that said, I would say there are far more advantages than challenges. The convenience store model and branded QSR are a match made in heaven.

When it comes to the convenience store, grab-and-go food quality can be a bit of a challenge. By bringing in branded QSR, we’re able to offer to provide a much more premium food quality.

The way I look at it, the franchise model reduces the uncertainty of launching a restaurant concept because they’ve already established their brand, built operating standards, and created resources for training, marketing, and attracting customers. In return, I own local execution, company culture, and customer relationships. There’s a balance between independence and support there.

I just think franchising is the future.

The main thing we wanted was a QSR concept that we felt had long-term potential. We were looking for a restaurant that could stay open for a long period of time. As I was driving around Texas, I started noticing Charleys, and I realized that they were growing very fast. They were in pretty much every town.

Charleys focus on food was also really important to me. I just love their emphasis on food and product quality. Their menu offers familiar food with broad customer appeal, and everything is prepared fresh in a way where the customers can see their meal being made in front of them.

When I started speaking to people there, it was clear they had a very good team. Their team members were easy to talk to and extremely enthusiastic about making us part of the brand and helping us succeed. The training and support they’re able to provide for me, for my managers, and my team members was so impressive. Then there’s the marketing and promotional support, the grand opening resources. They went out of their way to make sure we had a perfect opening, and weeks afterwards, they’re still following up and offering support.

I’ve worked with multiple franchisors, and Charleys was just so on top of everything.

The near-term goal right now is to build awareness in Springtown that the Charleys is up and running. We really want to establish a consistent guest experience and a dependable, well-trained team.

But most importantly, I want to build relationships within the community: the residents, the schools, the local businesses. I want to see a positive impact on social media from our customers.

I’m a big fan of small towns. A lot of people don’t recognize the potential these small towns have. You have a very loyal customer base. Everything that you do is highly appreciated by them. And I think more people need to invest in small towns, create more jobs.

Then, long-term, I’d like to build a stable, sustainable restaurant and be recognized in town as someone who’s always continually improving operations.

Mostly, I want to see my employees grow with this operation. I want to see return customers.

And I definitely want to grow with this chain. I already have another location in mind for them.