FRANCHISEES: THE LOCAL FACES OF NATIONAL BRANDS

By Cathryn Sprynczynatyk

In the conversation about eating local, shopping local, and supporting local, there is one key group that is often left out: franchise owners. These are local business owners and entrepreneurs who live and work in our community. They have simply chosen the franchise route for their entrepreneurial ventures.

Chick-fil-A

ANDREW STUBBS Owner/Operator

Andrew Stubbs and his wife come from families of entrepreneurs.

“My dad left a pretty good job at corporate America and decided to become an entrepreneur,” said Stubbs, Owner/Operator of the Bismarck Chick-fil-A. “He would buy businesses, build them up, and sell them for a pretty good profit. I grew up a part of those businesses.”

Since Stubbs describes himself as competitive, he said entrepreneurism is a good fit for his personality. In his 20s, Stubbs owned an international tennis academy based in Orlando. Students all over the world would sharpen their competitive tennis skills while attending college preparatory school.

Next, Stubbs became executive pastor of a church. While living in South Carolina, Stubbs came to a crossroads in his career.

“I was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life,” Stubbs said.

He got to know a local Chick-fil-A operator who became his mentor.

“There are roughly 100,000 (potential franchisees) who apply each year, and they select 100,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs quit his job and worked at Chick-fil-A for the next two years. His first day was washing dishes, cutting lettuce, and taking orders over the headset.

“My application process was two and a half years,” Stubbs said. “It’s a lot of different interviews, a lot of different questionnaires, a lot of visits. That process is very much designed to select the candidates who have a great amount of perseverance and a strong desire to own a restaurant.”

Chick-fil-A corporate had already selected the location on South 3rd Street in Bismarck.

“There is a team at Chick that is a lot smarter than I am,” Stubbs said. “They do a lot of market research to choose the location. We think it’s a phenomenal location next to the mall and Bismarck Event Center.”

All locations are owned and operated locally. Stubbs said the expectation is that the owner is in the restaurant every day. Stubbs applied to operate the Bismarck location.

“No. 1 it’s a great place to raise a family,” Stubbs said. “Being from the southeast, it’s pretty saturated with Chickfil-A locations. Looking at the map, the Midwest looked like the best place for our family. No. 2 is the fact that there is not a Chick-fil-A here within three hours. Where we moved from, there are three Chick-fil-As within 10 minutes.”

Stubbs said opening the restaurant in a brand-new market was both an opportunity and a challenge.

“Any time you’re starting something from the ground up, it’s challenging,” Stubbs said. “Add to that a new market where the brand you’re representing doesn’t exist. It’s a fun challenge and an exciting challenge, and at the same time it is a challenge.”

Stubbs opened the restaurant in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought its own set of hurdles. In addition, Stubbs said the economy is in a challenging position right now.

“The economy comes in cycles, so we know that it won’t always be this way,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs said the part he is proudest of is developing the team of employees: “(Chick-fil-A founder) Truett Cathy used to say, ‘We’re not just in the chicken business, were in the people business. That’s how I judge success is by our people.”

Stubbs said the restaurant has just begun to make its mark on the community.

“We’re just really beginning,” Stubbs said. “I’m excited to see where this brand goes.”