Business View - August 2015 111
barriers to our product.
“The other thing was that our process was so simple.
And simplicity is still key. It is a cornerstone element
of our business. We’ve got a simple process: it’s our
secret mix, it’s water, and it’s flour. And none of those
go bad.”
So far, little of anything is going bad in the Ben’s Soft
Pretzel enterprise. Jones and Krider (who run the day
to day operations) hope to open another ten to twenty
stores, this year, expanding further into the Midwest
and east of the Mississippi. Over the next five years,
though, they believe that they can open at least 75 to
100 stores, annually.
They also have a very important relationship with two
large, national sales chains: Wal-Mart, with its 2100
locations and Meijer with its 200. According to Krider,
“If there’s an availability, we have an opportunity to be
a part of one of their locations.” With two million plus
people walking through these stores trying their prod-
uct, it’s likely that their franchise target is not unrealis-
tic. And, in fact, the company does very little marketing
because it already receives an average of three to five
applications per day.
What do Jones and Krider look for in a potential fran-
chisee? Jones explains: “One of the things we look for
is a little bit of tenacity and a lot of enthusiasm. We, of
course, want to make sure that they have an aptitude
for learning and can work their business. But the big-
gest component is the relationship. Can we create a
good relationship? Do we want to spend 20 years with
this person? Do we want to answer the phone when
they call? This is a long-term commitment. So, we’re
really looking at growing good relationships with good
partners.”
All awarded franchisees go through the Ben’s Soft
Pretzel training regimen. “We train them on opera-
tions,” says Jones. “We have two classes that they
FRANCHISE
