Franchise Interviews

We are meeting with Jeff Garrett, founder of Lumberjacks.  In 2004, in one of those “wake up in the middle of the night” moments, Jeff Garrett thought of Lumberjacks and the timber industry theme. He immediately got to work on converting a generic diner to incorporate this theme and fittingly renamed the place … Lumberjacks. The brand has since grown to nine corporate and franchise restaurants throughout Northern California and Las Vegas, with 25-50 more predominantly franchise locations set to open in the next few years. Guests line up in droves for the experience and a taste of home-style cooking “Where the big boys eat.”

ABOUT LUMBERJACKS: Garrett’s initial thought behind the theme was that everyone loves lumberjacks and wants to be like them because they work hard, eat a lot, and work well together. Restaurants have a 12-foot lumberjack statue in front, lumberjack competitions playing on TV screens, juniper wood covering the interior of the restaurant, axes as the door handles and other “woodsy” features.

In part 2, we hear a clip for our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

When Michael and Babz Barnett saw a tweet from ABC scouting contestants for new TV show, Shark Tank, six years ago, they had no idea what they’d be walking into. In fact, they saw the premier episode in their hotel room the night before their own taping. But despite the lack of familiarity with the sharks entrepreneurs have today, they presented their concept, Romp n’ Roll – a modernized kids gym perfecting the intersection of entertainment and education for kids ages 3 months to 5 years, and were offered a deal.

 Which they declined.

 With just a handful of open units in the U.S. at the time, the company switched gears and redirected its focus to China, spending the last five years growing its presence there to an astounding 85 locations. Now, they are once again returning their focus to the states and picking up where they left off on that stage six years ago building on its incredible success – System wide sales in 2015 surpassed $2M in the U.S. and reached $30M worldwide.

In part 2, we hear a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

We are meeting with the cofounder of #getfried Chris Covelli of #getfried French Fry Cafe a new franchise model that is betting on a relatively untapped market in the U.S.: topped French fries.

At #getfried, guests can customize their own unique fry dish by choosing between five styles of fries and more than 20 sauces, seasonings and toppings - turning what was once a favorite side dish, into an indulgent meal. The franchise is co-founded by lifelong friends Chris Covelli (29) and Garrett Green (30), who hope to reach fellow Millennials through the use of the hashtag, which they have trademarked rights to use in conjunction of a restaurant name.

In part 2, we will hear a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

18/8 Fine Men’s Salons are hair care and grooming centers for men, a reinvention of the barber shop, providing hair and grooming services for men in a relaxing, comfortable atmosphere geared toward the specific needs of men. 18/8 stylists provide advice and service in a wide variety of treatments, including haircuts, hair coloring, MANicures, face treatments, scalp treatments and massage, all in semi-private stations. 18/8 stylists are experts in their fields of men’s care and grooming.

We are meeting with Scott Griffith, the founder and owner of 18|8 Fine Men’s Salon, Scott has grown the brand to more than 750 salons. It has a system-wide revenue of more than $25 million. Men who enter 18/8 are treated special. They are greeting the moment they come through the door by a salon coordinator who offers them a drink. They are then guided to a stylist’s booth or to private or semi-private rooms, depending on services requested. The 18/8 business model is a rarity in men’s grooming, a shop that treats men specially and values their specific needs. The company seeks franchisees to become part of the national brand of fine mens’ salons; business entrepreneurs who want to bring out the best in men. The 18/8 business model is a cut far above other men’s grooming shops, catering to the discerning, successful man who wants to look and feel his best in order to perform his best. 18/8 Fine Men’s Salons open stores in districts and locations that assure a high-class clientele and experienced, knowledgeable stylists.

18/8 Fine Men’s Salons was founded by Ron Love, who serves as company president, and W. Scott Griffiths, CEO. Love began his hairstyling career in London’s Mayfair district at age 15, and had many years of hairstyling experience before building and expanding 18/8. Griffiths has a long career of building companies and successful brands, such as 18/8.

We have a great show today.  We are meeting with David Wild, Director of franchising for Sloan’s Ice Cream.  A true icon of South Florida, Sloan’s is renowned for its award winning luxury ice cream flavors, candies and world-class bakery items. The brand’s signature pink walls and ceilings, along with the plush toy collection lining its walls add to Sloan’s fun, funky experience. In 1999, Sloan Kamenstein, a classically trained chef and ice cream connoisseur, created Sloan’s Ice Cream along West Palm Beach, Florida’s famed Clematis Street.

In part 2, we will hear a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.

We are meeting with Matt Miller of School Spirit Vending.  School Spirit Vending (SSV) is focused on providing hassle-free, year-round fundraising opportunities for as many schools across the country as possible. It’s their goal to help save kids from the door-to-door sales associated with traditional school fundraisers. SSV’s program requires no volunteers, relieving the fundraising burden off of their schools, so they can focus on what they do best – educating their kids!

Founded in 2007, SSV has created a unique community support system across the country for operators and their families. Their focus on creating multigenerational businesses helps develop entrepreneurs in all age groups throughout the SSV team.

We have a great show today.  We are meeting with Sam Hance, President of Stone Coat. This Dallas-based company is the leading innovator of a unique process creating true stone wall finishes. The company exclusive "Blown Stone" system allows you to literally resurface almost any vertical surface with a real stone finish, meaning homeowners save time and money rather than placing traditional stone in their homes.

Originally developed in Europe to restore old historic buildings, Stone Coat is a proprietary blend of Limestone and other natural stone materials and minerals specifically designed to be blown onto almost any vertical surface. Once applied, it is able to be carved, shaped, and colored in a variety of ways, including Austin chalk, river rock, cast stone, and many more. Each finish is a custom inspiration of the artisan at work. Recreating the look of Flagstone, Limestone, Brick or Slate is all possible.

Founded in 2010 and franchising since 2015 and with more than 20 dealers and distributors already operating across the country -Stone Coat is looking to expand its national footprint with as many as 25-30 franchise units in 2016 and 150 in the next several years.

In part 2, we will play a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.

We are meeting with Laura Coe, co-founder of Snapology.  Snapology offers a wide array of interactive, play-based activities for children ages 1-14 – including enrichment classes, birthday parties, workshops, camps, scouting events and field trips – mainly using building materials such as LEGO® bricks and other similar building tools and technology. The programs can be customized based on the number of children, age of children and time allotment, and can be broken down into individual classes, such as superhero or Minecraft themed events, competition robotics teams, science classes, team building events and motor skill development courses that are perfect for pre-school children.

Additionally, the curriculum is designed to benefit gifted and traditional students, as well as children with special needs, including those with sensory processing and autism spectrum disorders. Founded in 2010 and franchising since 2015, Snapology's mission is to provide children with an opportunity to engage in playful learning activities that stimulate creativity and an interest in learning.

We have a great show today.  April is Autism Awareness Month and Snip-its salon, a child-focused hair salon and franchise has partnered with Autism Speaks to develop a special haircutting training guide for stylists and parents to better the experience for the child.  We are meeting with Snip-its Director of Artistic Education, Marsha Cole.  In part 2, we hear out interview with Kim Ellis, the VP of Franchise Development for Snip-its and part 3 includes a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast.

We are meeting with Larry Sidoti, Chief Development Officer of Paris Baguette.  Paris Baguette, a fast-casual premier baking concept so popular in parts of South Korea, China, Singapore and Vietnam that you can’t go more than a few blocks without seeing one of their 3,700 locations.

While seeing roaring international success, Paris Baguette is now setting out to shake up the All-American bakery-café market in the United States. The company first debuted in the states in 2005, and just began franchising in 2015. With a current presence of 43 corporate locations and two franchise locations from the West Coast to the East Coast, the company is projected to open more than 350 locations by 2020.

Despite its name and Eiffel Tower logo, Paris Baguette’s deep Korean roots date back 70 years before the brand was first introduced to the United States with the opening of its Los Angeles location in 2005, and just began franchising in August, 2015. The company is sure to shake up the historically All-American bakery-café marketplace competition with its support-oriented business model, a worldlier menu selection with international flare and elevated ambiance.

COMPANY INFO:

·         90% of locations in Asia are franchise owned; U.S. franchise opportunity launched in Aug. 2015

·         Average unit volume: nearly $2.5M

In part 2, we will hear a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.