Franchise Today

I'm off to Buffalo this week for my annual pilgrimmage to the National Buffalo Wing Festival, but in my place, I present a very special reprise of my two-part interview with Michael E. Gerber.  PLUS, the Man, the Myth,The Legend has a very special offer that he is extending to select listeners of Franchise Today.  Tune in Wed. @ noon ET, to learn more.  Next week, I return and will be joined by Paul Macaluso, President and CEO at Another Broken Egg Cafes.

Brandon Ezra started Grand Welcome with a handful of condominiums in Mammoth Lakes and grew his property management company to be one of the largest in that destination. That was the start of a larger vision and the umbrella growth of Grand Welcome. 

Today, Grand Welcome is a fast-growing franchise system leveraging the highly fractured, $81 billion-dollar short-term vacation rental market. With 738 properties under management nationwide, and sales projected at $48 million, Grand Welcome expects to nearly double their 2021 sales of $25 million, in 2022.  Entrepreneur magazine has named Grand Welcome a 2022 Top New and Emerging Franchise. 

Grand Welcome Founder and CEO, Brandon Ezra, my guest this week, on FRANCHISE TODAY.

This week’s interview is with an amazing, rising star of franchising, Tony Zaccario, who at the age of 28, is President and CEO of Stretch Zone.  For the past five years, Zaccario has led the charge at Stretch Zone, bringing the brand to 200 units from the 5 that were licensed when he first got there.  Zaccario was hired as General Manager in 2016, promoted to VP of Operations 15 months later and ultimately to President and CEO just 15 months after that. 

WIth not a single failure, this chain is tracking toward 300 open and operating by the summer of 2023. And, with the likes of Drew Brees, NFL and franchising veteran on his board and, also investing in the brand as a multi-unit owner, this brand is on it's way.. In fact, their growth is not occuring from the sale to new franchisees, so much as from awarding additional territories to highly successful, existing franchisees, coming back for more.

Today, as CEO of Mongolian Concepts Restaurant Group, Gregg Majewski sits at the helm of  3 brands:  Ghengiss Grill, Flat Top Grills and BD’s Mongolian. But this restaurant and franchise executive checks the box for growing more than just this roster of brands, as straight out of college 20 plus years ago, Gregg went from the role of accounting apprentice, to Controller, from Controller to CFO, then from CFO to COO and ultimately straight to the top of the house as CEO of none other than Jimmy Johns.  Over the course of 5 years, he contributed to the growth of that iconic sandwich chain from 307 open and operating when he arrived, to more than 300 on his watch when he exited, 5 years later.  And, he's well on his way to doing it all over again with Mongolian Concepts.  Gregg Majewski, this week on Franchise Today.  .

Chuck Bongiovanni is an accomplished, serial entrepreneur, with a knack for identifying challenges, facing them head on and creating win/win solutions for all stakeholders  As co-founder and CEO of Care Patrol, he and his wife Becky grew that brand to +/-150 units, before selling the brand to the Riverside Company.  To this day, Becky remains its President, while Chuck went on to create the next chapter in his life, as co-founder and CEO of Majestic Residences. 

At Majestic Residences, they provide the highest possible quality of care to seniors who require low or higher levels of care, including memory-specific care, but they do so promoting dignity, self-esteem, and autonomy in how they go about doing it, caring for residents in the environment of smaller, residential care homes that they build or convert, in quiet, residential neighborhoods and communities, as opposed to most assisted living facilities, which are usually have much larger footprints and are more institutional in their nature. 

Chuck Bongiovanni may even shed a little light on a surprise or two, revealed to us today, on Franchise Today

Jerry Flanagan is an Army Veteran and entrepreneur who, along with his wife Tracy, have created a national brand, dedicated to empowering Veterans through entrepreneurship. Rooted in the Military values of Respect, Integrity, and Trust, the JDog®️ Junk Removal & Hauling and JDog®️ Carpet Cleaning & Floor Care franchise systems have become a nationwide movement, creating business and employment opportunities for Veterans and Veteran families. 

Jerry launched the JDog Junk Removal business in 2011. It was a two-person operation – Jerry hauled junk and Tracy managed the back office. As a Veteran, Jerry gained trust and credibility with customers quickly, and referrals came easy. Within a year, he had more business than one person could handle and began hiring local Veterans who embodied the brand’s values.

Through Jerry’s vision and leadership, JDog has since grown to hundreds of locations, 90 percent of which are Veteran owned. To date, the company has created thousands of job opportunities across the country.

Jerry served in the Army  and then the National Guard, from 1987-1993 and finished at the top of his class, the recipient of the Army Achievement Medal. Since transitioning back to the civilian world, Jerry has committed himself to helping Veterans be successful in business. He teaches an entrepreneurial boot camp for Veterans at St. Joseph’s University, and at Boots to Business for Veterans, an entrepreneurial program offered through the SBA. He is also a Strategic Advisor for Grunt Style, a Patriotic apparel company committed to creating a quality products while supporting the Military and First Responder communities. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Grunt Style Foundation and founded the JDog Foundation, whose mission is to support Military Veterans and Military Veteran-related causes – with a particular focus on preventing Veteran suicide and PTSD.

Providing personal and tailored support for franchisees in a rapidly growing system, co-founder and Slim Chickens CEO, Tom Gordon, is the driving leader behind the brand’s goal to have a 600-unit footprint by 2025, and unlike many brands that release large growth numbers, Gordon is leading the team in a manner that makes this goal more attainable with each passing day, month and quarter.  Gordon & co-founder Greg Smart concocted the idea for the fast-casual chicken concept in Greg Smart’s garage, focusing not on the cost of the food but the quality.

Focusing solely on chicken, Slim Chickens has seen accelerated growth backed by a commitment to serve traditional Southern hospitality within its communities, while offering the convenience and affordability of fast casual.

By developing successful, multi-unit franchisees within the system who are passionate about Slim Chickens, and providing them with top notch site selection and unparalleled franchise business support, delivered by a highly qualified executive team, Gordon has been able to build the foundation for a great brand.  His, is a leadership style that is one to be watched and learned from.

Leadership experience and building and guiding franchise brands, that’s what Mark Mele is all about.  A Certified Franchise Executive, Mark Mele is an accomplished corporate franchise sales and development strategist, whose vision and expertise in business performance, have propelled such notable franchise brands such as Retro Fitness, Kumon, Huntington Learning Centers Century 21, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson and now, Paris Baguette of North America.  Mele has achieved exciting company turnarounds and is recognized for his success in growing franchise brands.

He has been featured on development, franchise operations, support and turn] arounds and he’s here today to tell us all about it.

For over 30 years, Pizza Factory has stayed true to its roots. Hardworking owners and staff, family-friendly dining, and a high-quality product make them who they are. They take great pride in the smile that the first bite of their pizza brings to the faces of their guests and they strive to make everyone feel as if this is their hometown pizzeria.

Their motto says it all:  “We Toss’em, They’re Awesome” —hand-tossed pizzas that are simply the best. Each bubbly, cheesy pie is made with 100% real mozzarella cheese and their signature sauce.  It’s hard to say what makes it so delicious: the dough, the sauce, or is it the fresh toppings? Or is it all of the above.  Mary jane RIva, Pizza Factory CEO "and" multi-unit franchisee, is here to discuss all of that and more. 

Mary Jane Riva became president and chief executive of the Oakhurst, Calif.-based Pizza Factory in September 2012, after she and her husband, Bob Riva, acquired the Pizza Factory Inc. franchising system from founders Daniel and Carol Wheeler and Ronald Willey.  But, she was a Pizza Factory franchisee, well before then. 

In fact, the Rivas have owned Pizza Factory restaurants as franchisees for nearly 33 years and continue to do so to this very day.  Always focused on unit level economics and franchisee success, Pizza Factory recently introduced a new, streamlined express model, to service the growing off-premise market segment, in addition to their larger foot print, dine-in restaurants.    QSR has already heralded the brand as the next big thing in pizza.  Mary Jane Riva, this week on Franchise Today.

It’s been just short of two years, since John Teza made a really big career move, leaving behind 20 years of restaurant franchising, to become the President and Chief Development Officer, at Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spas.  Then, barely a year later, John stepped up once again, when Hand and Stone named him CEO.  As CEO, John is responsible for driving the company’s brand strategy and performance across its 500+ spas and clinics throughout the US and Canada. John is a passionate brand builder and is committed to Hand and Stone's mission to make high-quality spa, wellness, and beauty experiences more accessible, affordable, and professional for its clients and team members.

He is also one of my best friends for life in franchising and he returns to Franchise Today, to tell us all about it.