Operating a franchise restaurant seems like a lot of fun. You work in a lively environment where everyone is having a good time. You help your guests unwind after a long day. At this place of yours, you enable people to enjoy themselves and have fun. And yet, there’s much more to running a franchise location.
Becoming a franchise owner requires a special set of skills that involve discipline, responsibility, and a passion for serving people. It takes a talented person to be able to fulfil this demanding role, but the benefits can be enormous for the lucky few that succeed.
A franchise business makes for a great opportunity, and many people apply to become a franchisee every year. Is franchising right for you?
Ask yourself the following questions to determine if you’d make for an ideal franchise owner.
Are you ready for the responsibility that comes with being a franchise owner?
At its most basic terms, the restaurant franchising model represents a blueprint for success. People who buy a franchise are given detailed plans that have been used previously by successful franchisees. However, seeing the path to success and achieving it for yourself are two entirely different things.
As the franchise owner, you need to make the decisions for your franchise location. You become the person responsible for making your restaurant a good place to eat for your customers, and a good place to work for your employees. You need to make the hard decisions that keep your operations running smoothly as you face new challenges everyday.
Are you willing to put in the hard work required in operating a franchise restaurant?
The responsibility of being a franchise owner doesn’t end with making difficult decisions. As the leader of your franchise restaurant, you’ll need to get personally involved in your day-to-day operations. As much as you may try to delegate tasks to others, running a restaurant franchise requires its franchise owner to be on-site and provide leadership on a daily basis.
Another thing about delegation for restaurants is that sometimes there’s no one available to take your orders. At tough times like these, it falls to the franchise owner to pick up the slack and do the job that needs to be done. It isn’t glamorous, but your restaurant’s operations and branding are far too important to be sidelined for any reason.
How do you personally feel about the brand?
At the end of the day, business is just business. But for a franchise owner, the franchise you’ve just joined means much more than that. It signifies a brand with values that you’ll be promoting on a daily basis, and considering that franchise relationships are known to last for about 10 years, you’ll be promoting this intellectual property for a long time.
As a franchisee, you have a personal stake in the franchise you have joined. That’s why it’s important that you honestly believe in this brand. Don’t pick a franchise that you can’t personally endorse. To become a successful franchise owner, you should also be a fan of your own brand.
Do you have enough money? Know how to borrow more?
Becoming a franchisee takes more than just faith, however. That’s because opening a franchise is an investment, and investments require money. In addition to the initial joining fee and the many start-up costs, you’ll need to consider your operating costs during what is going to be a difficult first year – all while having enough money for yourself to live on.
It’s likely that you’ll need to take out a loan, which requires that you create and present a business plan for the bank. This means that franchise ownership requires good financial management skills and an affinity for numbers.
Do you follow rules well?
Being an entrepreneur is to have your own business, but this independence isn’t quite there for franchise owners. That’s because as part of a chain of restaurants, you and every other franchise owner depend on brand consistency. By offering the same products and services at the same quality at every franchise location, franchise owners can keep attracting loyal customers with your core advantage.
To achieve brand consistency, franchise owners need to ensure their restaurant follows the brand guidelines exactly as specified in the operations manual. This means doing things the same way every time without deviation.
For these reasons, becoming a franchisee is not recommended for entrepreneurs who prefer to do things their own way. In a franchise system, only by working together can franchise owners be strong.
Are you a leader?
Although a franchise owner has to fall in line when it comes to franchise guidelines, you do maintain autonomy over your own location. With this independence comes the fact that franchisees need to serve as the leaders of their teams.
As the boss, the franchise owner has to lead and properly motivate their employees. You need to provide guidance when needed, and recognize talent when it’s appropriate. Conversely, when your staff aren’t performing in the way that you’d like, you also need to provide discipline and let employees go if warranted.
In the end, the buck stops with you. You need to be the leader that your customers and employees deserve.
Are you a people person?
The heart of running a successful franchise restaurant is customer service. You’re there to make your customers happy and satisfied. As the franchise owner, you need to set an example for how to interact with customers and provide great customer service.
The ideal franchise owner will have great people skills and be friendly and gregarious. They are able to diffuse problems for customers, and create hospitality for everyone. Do these character traits and personal circumstances sound like you? St. Louis Bar & Grill is looking for new franchisees to join us! We have numerous franchise opportunities available throughout Canada, and we’re looking for talented individuals to help us as we continue to grow. See which opportunities we have available here!
