Sam Askar

MUFC 2026, Day 2: General Session Panel Challenges shift as franchise operators grow.

Summer officially arrived this weekend, anticipating the arrival of the year’s halfway point, a perfect time to reflect, analyze, and assess your organization’s first-half performance—and tweak and adjust whatever needs fixing or improvement.

Keeping current in today’s dynamic, ultra-competitive restaurant industry requires multi-unit operators to continuously adapt to changing customer preferences, technologies, legislation, labor costs, real estate, and so much more.

Customers pay the bills, but with a limited number of customers in any given market, competition is fierce, especially with reports that average check sizes declined in the first half…

Sam Askar, COO of Askar Brands, shares his experience in franchising from both sides, overseeing operations of multiple brands and serving as a franchisee.

Franchisee shares challenges and strategies for transitioning from single-unit to multi-unit franchisee, emphasizing culture development and team leadership.

Franchisees may face two contrasting economic forces in 2024, requiring adaptability, risk management, and focus on fundamentals for success.