Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2012 | Page 20

By Kerry Pipes

More Are Better
O

Multi-brand franchising
continues to grow

ne brand, two brands, three brands, more. When it
comes to growth and expansion, that’s exactly what
many multi-unit operators have in mind. While some
are content—and quite successful—operating many
units of a single brand, others like to play ball with many different brands, even different sectors.
With the right people and infrastructure in place, multibrand growth is a lucrative way to grow a franchise organization—providing power in numbers, the additional security of
spreading risk across several concepts, and cross-pollination
of best practices from each system.
Although the payoff can be much more rewarding, managing multiple brands is much more complex than sticking
with one brand. Multi-brand franchising demands skilled,
knowledgeable, experienced professionals and team members
who can operate under diverse system requirements, market
conditions, and consumer profiles and tastes. It’s not for every franchisee—in temperament or skill set—but those who
do it, and do it well, say the benefits far outweigh the risks.

It’s all about the people
This issue marks our fifth year of celebrating and recognizing
multi-brand franchisees. Once again, we’ve teamed up with
FRANdata to create our “Multi-Brand 50” rankings of the
country’s largest multi-brand operators, along with a list of
the MU50’s 25 favorite brands (see page 51).
While “top” lists are valuable, they don’t tell you about
the people behind the numbers—how they got there, what
they invested, and what they sacrificed. That’s why we search
out inspiring and remarkable success stories for every issue.
This time we’ve “reconnected” with two multi-brand operators we’ve profiled in the past, to complement our firsttimers. No matter what brand or sector they’re in, all have
poured their blood, sweat, and tears into creating successful
franchise organizations. Here’s a taste of what you’ll find in
the pages ahead:
• Johnny Collins had worked for years as a fireman and
a security officer before he set out on his own. At first, the
going was rough. Several businesses he started just didn’t
make it. When he opened his first Wingstop, making the
store succeed seemed like a test of his faith. But he has made
it, and today operates 3 Wingstops and 2 Mooyah Burgers.

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue II, 2012

• Craig Colby earned a degree in computer science and
started his own consulting and programming business. But he
wasn’t happy—and realized that loving his work was critical
to both his career and quality of life. His love was food and
restaurants, so he made it his business. Today he operates 4
Red Robins, 4 Così restaurants, and now is developing 5 Tio
Juan’s Margaritas—and loving it.
• Gavin Hart believes that a relaxing, fun, upbeat work
environment is largely responsible for the success of his 9
Dairy Queens and 14 Dunkin’ Donuts in Indiana. There
must be a lot of fun going on, because he’s scheduled to
open five more DQs and five more DDs this year. He’s one
multi-brand operator who loves his business and family.
With his wife Kim active in the business and his daughters
interested in it, “There’s a lot of flow between our work and
home lives,” he says.
• Chirag Patel left India for the U.S. 15 years ago to join
his wife and look for work. He began as an engineer and consultant, but soon learned through his family members that
franchising offered big opportunities for anyone with an
entrepreneurial bent. In 1999, he acquired his first Dunkin’
Donuts, in Burlington, N.J. Today he has 10—along with 3
Moe’s Southwestern Grills, 1 Howard Johnson, 1 Comfort
Inn, 1 Holiday Inn, and 1 Hampton Inn—and he just signed
a 30-store development deal wit