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Business View Magazine
22 Business View – October
Francising
“There was not near the passion that I find in food,”
he said. “It’s an industry of pleasure. You please the
guest. The guests need to leave happier than when
they came, and it’s so rewarding. That makes your day.”
The 30-year-old business, founded in 1984,
underwent a significant change when a team comprised
of Schram and two partners purchased the operation
in 2005. They subsequently expanded with a franchise
model focused on unit-level economic potential, and
a company-wide emphasis on brand equity, best
practices and improved leadership efficiency.
Markets were sought across the United States and
internationally, and the roster now includes 45 U.S.
restaurants across 12 states – California, Florida, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, North
Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas –
and 12 more in the Middle East region.
The chain employs close to 2,500 across all its
locations, with an average of 40 per unit.
Only seven of the 57 locations remain under
corporate ownership. That fact, Schram said, reflects
a dedicated emphasis on the franchise blueprint. Five
company-owned stores are planned for the greater
Cincinnati area over the next 24 months to help, he
said, “reinforce the brand.”
“Some companies might reserve the best markets for
the company-owned stores and leave to franchisees
more challenging areas,” he said. “They might take
the filet mignon for themselves and leave the second
choice for the franchisee. With us, clearly, when we
do site selection we are trying to find the best location
within our targeted area for our franchisees.
“We never put a preemption on a market or a city,
saying it’s for a future company-owned store.”
Menu and design uniformity across locations are
main contributors to an average annual growth rate
of 14 percent per unit since the corporate ownership
transition in 2005, and Schram said a concerted effort
has been made to elevate the dining experience to
attract a focused clientele.
Toward that end, quality salads have been introduced,
food is served on white china and servers are dressed
in sports jerseys that are branded, but not too tight on
the body.
“In most of the families, where the family goes to
dine out the decision is made by the wife, then the
kids, then the husband,” he said. “In the menu and the
appearance of the store, we are interested in being
more women-friendly. We see that the families are
