Hands-On Restaurant Expertise
The iFranchise Group has over a dozen consultants who’ve worked for, held senior executive level positions at, guided franchise sales and unit growth, for numerous top ranked foodservice franchisors, including the companies whose logos are shown to the right. Our foodservice team alone has more than 450 years of experience in franchising and they average more than 30 years of franchise experience.
Why Franchise?
FRANCHISING PROVIDES THE CAPITAL FOR GROWTH.
Franchising allows companies to expand without the risk of debt or the cost of equity. Since the franchisee provides the initial investment at the unit level, franchising allows for expansion with less capital.
FRANCHISING REDUCES THE RISK.
Since it is generally the franchisee, not the franchisor, who signs leases and commits to various service contracts, franchising allows for expansion with virtually no contingent liability.
Franchising is one of the most powerful methods of business expansion. Over time, franchising’s ability to provide accelerated growth has only increased.
FRANCHISING PROVIDES HIGHLY MOTIVATED MANAGEMENT.
Finding and retaining good unit management is one of the greatest challenges facing expanding companies today. Many business owners know the frustration of training good managers, only to have them one day become competitors. Having on-site franchise owners, who are motivated by the investment of their own money, enables franchisors to eliminate or minimize the reliance on finding and retaining managers. In fact, franchisees who have made a direct investment in their business are more motivated than salaried managers to succeed and operate at a higher level.
FRANCHISING ENABLES RAPID MARKET SATURATION.
To bring a new concept to market, businesses need to be fast enough to outpace the copycat concepts their success is sure to create.
Franchising is generally a company’s fastest growth vehicle since it enables franchisors to leverage off the time, capital, and efforts of their franchisees.
Should You Franchise Your Restaurant?
The first step to determine whether or how to franchise a restaurant involves a free consultation with one of our senior advisors to answer THREE KEY QUESTIONS :
These questions can only be answered after evaluating your restaurant and determining how franchising fits with your specific goals and objectives. 1 2 3
Other questions your consultation may answer:
• What is a franchise?
• How to franchise a business
• Criteria for franchisability
• Franchising strategy & feasibility
• Advantages of franchising
• Considering other growth options like licensing
Meet with one of our experts to explore these and other vital questions about franchising before you jump into this strategy.
What Exactly is Franchising?
The definition of franchising helps businesses determine if they are a franchise and therefore must be disclosed as such. In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission and state regulatory agencies have developed a formal set of disclosure requirements and franchisespecific prohibitions that franchisors must follow in their relationships with their franchisees.
Three Primary Elements Define A Franchise Relationship:
The use of a common trademark
The provision of assistance to the franchisee with a certain amount of control
The collection of fees, royalties, mark-ups, or other monies from the franchisee
• If you have all three elements, you are a franchise, regardless of what you call it
• Some state definitions vary, but are generally similar
• Some businesses are already franchising and do not even know it, and could face significant fines and penalties for violations
Advantages of Franchising Your Restaurant
CAPITAL The ability to expand using franchisees’ capital
PEOPLE
Franchisees are typically more motivated to succeed than salaried managers
QUALITY
As investors in their businesses, franchisees are motivated to maintain high-quality operations
SPEED
Franchising enables a company to grow faster than through corporate expansion by leveraging the time, capital, and efforts of franchisees
RISK
Reduced risk and liability for the franchisor as it does not invest money, sign leases, or hire employees for the franchisee’s business
OPERATIONS
Fewer concerns over day-to-day operations
• Established and profitable
• Readily teachable to others
• Attractive in terms of the proven return on investment
• Marketable as a franchise opportunity
• Transferable to other markets or types of locations
See a more detailed test at:
https://www.ifranchisegroup.com/franchise-your-business/the-ifranchise-group-acid-test/
How Do I Franchise?
The iFranchise Group Can Help
We are a coalition of top professionals in franchise strategic planning, operations, training and documentation, franchise marketing, and sales for franchise companies. Our focus goes beyond documentation – to the actual implementation of franchise programs.
THE iFRANCHISE GROUP was formed in 1998 to provide the guidance and assistance that innovative companies need to compete in today’s market. Our mission is to put the power of the latest technology and franchise expansion techniques to work for our clients’ success.
CLIENT SELECTIVITY: The iFranchise Group accepts a limited number of new clients in any given year. The iFranchise Group is dedicated to long-term relationships with high-potential clients.
STRATEGIC FOCUS: To compete effectively, today’s franchisors need a clear vision of who they are and where they want to be. Each project component is designed to advance a clearlydetailed strategic plan.
REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE: The hands-on, no-nonsense approach of the iFranchise Group comes from the real-world experience of its team members. Our recommendations aren’t based on what we’ve learned from textbooks but from decades of experience building some of the world’s most successful franchise companies.
INDIVIDUALIZED APPROACHES:
The iFranchise Group doesn’t “package” your business for franchising. We provide customized strategies designed to maximize your unique strengths, to work within your available resources, to seize available opportunities, and to achieve your specific objectives.
MARK SIEBERT CEO
DAVE HOOD President
Affiliations, Accolades & Achievements
Our consultants have worked with 98 OF TOP 200 FRANCHISORS
as ranked by Franchise Times
Authored three books on franchising and business expansion
RANKED #1
Franchise Consultants/Developers for six years in a row in a survey of over 1,100 franchisors
900+ YEARS of combined experience
Our consultants average 25+ YEARS of franchise experience
Our consultants have held executive positions at over 60 franchise companies Articles appearing in over 300 publications and over 600 live seminars and podcasts, television and radio interviews.
The iFranchise Group Provides a Fully Integrated Approach to Franchise Consulting
FRANCHISE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
• Franchise Feasibility
• Competitive Benchmarking
• Franchise Structure
• Territory Analysis and Determination
• Coordination with Outside Counsel on the Development of Legal Documents
• Strategic Implementation Plans
• Financial Analysis and Fee Optimization
• Business Plans for Capital Formation
• Operations Manuals
• Systems and Forms
• Quality Control Procedures
• Training Programs and Training Aids
• Training Videos and Other Intranet Training Applications
• Operational Audits and Best Practices
• Train-the-Trainer manuals to help avoid joint employment issues
• Content positioning on your Learning Management System (LMS)
• A customized LMS for your Manual and Training Tools
• Franchise Marketing Plans
• Primary Research on Targeted Franchisee Candidates
• Franchise E-Brochures and Other Collateral Materials
• Franchise Promotional Videos
• Franchise Ad Design
• Website Development
• Website Optimization
• Franchise Sales and Marketing Audits
• Franchise Sales Training
• Implementation Consulting and Coaching
• Franchise Brokerage Services
• Management Recruiting
• Company Audits and Best Practices Benchmarking
• Due Diligence
• Expert Witness and Litigation Support
• Franchisee Council Development
• Compliance Audits
• International Expansion
• Franchise Sales Outsourcing
Meet Our Consultants
EXECUTIVE TEAM
SENIOR ADVISORS
FRANCHISE FEASIBILITY & STRATEGIC PLANNING
MIKE BAUM
SCOTT JEWETT BARRY FALCON CFE DAVID OMHOLT | CFE
TOMMY CLARK CFE
CHRIS MOORHOUSE
JOANNA MEISELES
SUNIL DEWAN LARRY OBERLY CFE
SCOT CRAIN | CFE
EMILIANO JÖCKER
CYNTHIA CLARKIN PATRICK K. WALLS, J.D.
LEONARD SWARTZ | CFE
JEFF ABBOTT | CFE
MARK SIEBERT CEO
DAVE HOOD President
JUDY JANUSZ Vice President, Operations
CHIC LEEHAN KEVIN HOSTETTER
Meet Our Consultants
DAN LEVY
TERRY CONROY
JIM GREEN CFE
JASON KILLOUGH MIKE POLLOCK
JOE BARGAS
MIKE GOLDBERG
KERI DES COTEAUX
CHARLIE BEVER
MATTHEW JONAS President
LIA BRAKEL LAWRENCE TUKE PAUL FAGAN CHRISSY EBLIN
MARKETING
JOHN SIEBERT CFE PETER CRAIN BERNARD RAMCHATESINGH | CFE ANN ANDERSON FRANCHISE FEASIBILITY & OPERATIONS ANALYSIS
MOHAMED CHARAFEDDINE CEO
(Affiliate Company: TopFire Media) DIGITAL MARKETING & PR
iFRANCHISE GROUP MIDDLE EAST
KARLIE HERNANDEZ
Diverse Experience Matters
RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE
• Auntie Anne’s
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Capriotti’s
• Checkers
• Cosi
• Denny’s
• Einstein Bros.
• El Pollo Loco
• Famous Famiglia
• First Watch
• Fuzzy’s Taco Shop
Consultants for iFranchise Group have assisted companies of all sizes in a diversity of industries, including:
• Häagen-Dazs
• Honey Baked Ham
• Krispy Kreme
• Marco’s Pizza
• McAlister’s Deli
• McDonald’s
• Nestlé
• Newk’s Eatery
• Nothing Bundt Cakes
• Old Country Buffet
• Perkins
• Popeyes
• Rita’s Italian Ice
• Rosati’s
• Sonic Drive-In
• Subway
• Tasti D-Lite
• Togo’s
• U.S. Navy
• WesterN SizzliN
• Which Wich
• Yoshinoya
C-STORE & RETAIL
• 1-800-Flowers
• Ace Hardware
• Amoco (Split Second)
• ASICS
• Blockbuster
• British Petroleum
• Circle K
• Fleming
• Foodini’s (Chevron)
• Hallmark Cards
• Mobil (On the Run)
• Payless Shoe Source
• Pet Supplies Plus
• Sharper Image
• Shell Oil
• Successories
• Swarovski
• T-Mobile
• Texaco Star Mart
• White Hen Pantry
• Van Heusen (Gant)
CONSUMER & BUSINESS SERVICES
(B2B)
• Carey Limousine
• Manpower
• Millicare
• PIP Printing
• Snap-on Tools
• Today’s Temporary
• Tribune Companies
• U.S. Filter
(B2C)
• 101 Mobility
• Baird & Warner
• Bath Fitter
• Chem-Dry
• Coldwell Banker
• Doctors Express
• Hollywood Tans
• Jackson Hewitt
• Mail Boxes Etc. / UPS Store
• Massage Envy
• MotoPhoto
• Senior Helpers
• ShelfGenie
HEALTHCARE & MEDICAL
• AlignLife • Always Best Senior Care • Avada • Beltone • BrightStar Healthcare
• Comfort Keepers
• Delta Dental • American Family Care • Farmacia Santa Fe • General Nutrition Centers • Massage Envy • Medicine Shoppe International Inc. • Motivational Weight Management • Pearle Vision • Senior Helpers
• Sterling Optical • Total Nutrition • Walgreens
Diverse Experience Matters
EDUCATION
• Academy of Learning
• Berlitz
• Chyten
• Dale Carnegie Training
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• E.nopi / Eye Level
• Goddard Schools
• Jacki’s Aerobic Dance
• Mad Science
• Primrose Schools
• Sanwa Research Institute
• Wall Street English
HOTELS
• Clarion Hotels
• Comfort Inn and Suites
• Courtyard
• Crown Plaza
• Days Inn Worldwide
• Doubletree
• Econolodge
• Embassy Suites
• Fairfield Inn
• Four Points by Sheraton
• Garden Inn
• Hampton Inn
• Hilton Hotels
• Holiday Inn Express / Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
• Howard Johnson
• Marriott Hotels
• Omni Hotels
• Quality Inn
• Radisson Hotels
• Ramada
Consultants for iFranchise Group have assisted companies of all sizes in a diversity of industries, including:
FITNESS
• 24 Hour Fitness
• ATA Martial Arts
• Big Blue Swim School
• Burn Boot Camp
• Ellipse Fitness
• Fitness Together
• Renaissance Hotels
• Residence Inn
• Sheraton Hotels and Suites
• Sleep Inn
• Springhill Suites
• Super 8
• Travel Lodge
• Value Place
• Westin Hotels
• i9 Sports
• Mayweather Boxing
+ Fitness
• Parisi Speed School
• Pvolve
• Sky Zone
• Soldierfit
• The Barre Code
• The Little Gym
• TopGolf
• Velocity Sports Performance
INTERNATIONAL
• Albaik (Saudi Arabia)
• Barmetrix (Canada)
• Claire’s (numerous markets)
• Frisby Group / Gundy Corp. (Colombia)
• Goldilocks (Philippines)
• Guinness Imports (Europe)
• IBM (Europe and Argentina)
• Java Times Caffé (Mexico)
• Kabab-Ji (Lebanon)
• Leylaty (Saudi Arabia)
• Locartis International (United Kingdom)
• M&M Meat Shops (Canada)
• Marti (Mexico)
• Pollo Campero (Guatemala)
• Two Men and a Truck (Canada)
• Weed Man / Turf Holdings (Canada)
• Zain (Middle East)
• Zinus/Keetsa Mattress Store (Korea)
Testimonials
“Professionally, our goal was to be the best franchise group out there in the country, iFranchise Group has helped us do that… We’re excited about the future at Fuzzy’s and proud to have iFranchise Group as a partner.”
– Mel Knight, Partner –
“When I assumed responsibility for franchise development for Perkins, one of the first steps I took was to seek out an outside consultant to assess where we were compared to our goals for the future. After a nationwide search, I decided that the iFranchise Group was the firm best equipped for the task at hand, and there hasn’t been a time since that I’ve second guessed that decision. From the time they started the franchise audit process through to the completion of a franchise marketing plan, the iFranchise Group team of professionals impressed us with their levels of knowledge, expertise, and experience. We have established an ongoing relationship. I view the iFranchise [Group] as a part of our team to achieve success.”
– John Morris, Sr. Director of Franchise Development –
“We engaged iFranchise Group to create our operations manuals for us… They put together a proram for us; they did a great job for us, it was simple procedure. Now, it’s time for us to update them; they are going to come back and update our manuals and make us compliant with our FDD. We’re very pleased to be working with them again.”
– Marla Topliff, CEO –
“I had a company called Genghis Grill and we were just starting to franchise and we needed somebody to really help with that. I searched around and I found a company called iFranchise Group. [The] company really showed me what franchising was about and how to properly set up a company to grow, and to grow right. I also started a new company called Which Wich and again we looked towards iFranchise Group to do our operations manuals and to use strategic consultants to help grow our company. We continue to grow. And, trust me, we are going to keep iFranchise Group involved in the process.”
– Jeff Sinelli, CEO & Founder
–
“We hired iFranchise Group to work with me and my executive team to develop Togo’s franchising, and it’s been a great success. We hired them to look at our total business model, not just franchising. They were hired to help us in all aspects of our business, including real estate, site selection criteria, operational excellence, lead generating strategies. Every CEO is looking for the best value added services when they go the outside consulting route. iFranchise Group is the best valued added consulting services I’ve ever seen and worked with because they do deliver what they promise.”
– Tony Gioia, CEO –
“In 2006, we decided to franchise our concept. We knew that this was going to be a really big undertaking, we weren’t prepared for it, so we decided to investigate franchise consulting companies. We chose to work with the iFranchise Group. They helped us develop our strategic plan, our marketing materials, our operations manual. which was an incredible undertaking… and we went through the entire sales process with them. Our growth is really tremendous. We really are happy with our decision about working with the iFranchise Group and we would highly recommend them to anyone.”
– Debbie Schwetz, Co-Founder –
Perspectives on the Restaurant Franchise Industry
Resource Library
Free Book Excerpt
Read an excerpt from the ultimate how-to guide to employing franchising as a growth strategy.
How To Franchise My Business
Check out this 3-minute video if you want to franchise your business.
12 Criteria for Franchisability
Learn 12 predictive criteria that assess the readiness of a company for franchising.
Nuts & Bolts of Franchising
Overview of franchising strategies and requirements from our franchise consultants.
Acid Test
Complete 12-step equation from iFranchise Group measure a franchisee’s projected return on Investment.
Franchise Success Cycle
In infographic form, this success cycle demonstrates the predictability of franchise marketing and sales.
International Business Expansion
Explore international business expansion issues and pros and cons of franchise and non-franchise systems.
Converting Licenses to Franchises
This paper explores the business issues and pros and cons of franchise and non-franchise systems.
Franchising in the Healthcare Profession
Franchising experts explain the ins and outs of franchising as a business expansion solution in healthcare.
Franchise Marketing & Sales Best Practices
iFranchise Group experts detail top 5 tips for franchise marketing and sales.
How to Franchise a Business
Watch franchising expert Mark Siebert’s full 90-minute seminar on how to franchise.
The Cost of Franchising
Learn about the costs involved in franchising a business from franchise expert Mark Siebert.
Franchise expert Mark Siebert gives advice on knowing when to franchise.
Quality Control in Franchising
Franchise expert Mark Siebert reveals four pillars of franchise quality control.
FRANCHISING WHITEPAPERS
FRANCHISING SEMINARS AND HOW-TO VIDEOS
FRANCHISING INFORMATION
Schedule a consultation with one of our senior advisors to discuss your concept and its franchisability
Let Your Goals Dictate Your Plan of Action
Don’t simply make the decision to franchise. Rather, make strategic decisions based on your growth goals, exit plan, and more ...and let those dictate the expansion path you take, whether that be franchising or other strategic growth option.
Questions to ask:
Where do you want to be in five years?
What kind of capital and human resources will it take to get there?
Can you do it alone?
Is your restaurant franchisable?
Is franchising right for you?
