Years ago, a man moved from Bangladesh to Boston and dreamed of opening his own business. He worked hard and eventually owned a 7-Eleven franchise and store. He lost the franchise after a series of disagreements with the company. After years of legal wrangling, he started a new venture: A store down the street called 6-Twelve. [More]
franchises
Dairy Queen Pulls Franchise From Owner Who Addressed Family With Racial Slurs
By 1.10.17
It’s unusual to see a crowd of people toting signs and celebrating that a local restaurant has closed. The people outside the Dairy Queen in Zion, IL, had originally planned a protest urging people to boycott after the franchisee reportedly called at a customer and her children by a racial slur, but Dairy Queen pulled his franchise and the restaurant closed in the interim. [More]
GM Offers To Buy Out 40% Of Cadillac Dealers
By 9.23.16
If there are fewer places around where you can buy a Cadillac, will that make the brand seem more luxurious and precious? That’s not really why General Motors has offered to buy out the franchises of 400 of its dealers that sell Cadillacs, but maybe it will help make the brand seem more exclusive, like its weird brand experience café/art gallery in Manhattan. [More]
Wendy’s Selling 640 Restaurants In U.S. And Canada
By 5.6.15
It seems selling fast food restaurants to franchisees is somewhat de rigueur these days: After McDonald’s recently said it’s using that plan to steer its big turnaround plan, Wendy’s announced today that it’ll be selling a total of 640 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada this year as well as its baking operation in Zanesville, OH. [More]
Burger King Franchisees Tired Of Inexperienced Corporate Field Coaches
By 10.27.14
During the last few years and under new ownership, Burger King has changed its business model slightly. The company once owned some restaurants as well as franchising its brand, but now has mostly left the restaurant-running business. Instead, they extract franchise royalties and send “field coaches” to look over the literal and metaphorical shoulders of their franchisees. [More]
Why Doesn’t Chipotle Franchise? It Has Enough Money, Promises Organic Meat
By 10.2.14
Franchising is the business model behind the massive homogenization of the American foodscape. A local entrepreneur licenses a larger brand, often buying supplies and other necessities for running a restaurant as well. This has worked very well for many fast food and quick-serve chains, so why isn’t popular burrito eatery Chipotle interested in opening franchises? [More]
Failed Quiznos, Cold Stone Franchises Left Taxpayers On Hook For $72.5M In Last Decade
By 9.11.14
When that Quiznos sandwich shop you always drove by but never visited closed, you probably didn’t even notice. Or maybe you were a little bit disappointed during your last trip to the mall when you found out the Cold Stone Creamery had shuttered. But what you probably didn’t know is that those failed franchises have left taxpayers on the hook for $72.5 million over the last decade. [More]
A Guide To Subway’s Delicious Regional Topping Variations
By 2.4.14
Want carrots on your Subway sandwich? How about parmesan oregano bread, sliced avocados, or blue cheese sauce? Not all Subway topping offerings are mandatory, and some offerings vary by region or even from franchisee to franchisee. Over at Brand Eating, here’s a guide to breads and toppings that you just might find at your local Subway. Or might not. [Brand Eating] [More]
McDonald’s Wants To Fix Service That Customers Find ‘Chaotic’
By 4.11.13
No one expects four-star service at a fast-food joint, but at the same time you expect service to be, well, fast. And somewhat competent. McDonald’s currently faces falling sales, and 20% of the complaints they receive are about customer service. Customers complain about “chaotic” service and “unprofessional” employees. Logical conclusion: time to work on their customer service. The chain is overhauling their ordering system in an attempt to make fewer mistakes and speed things along. Will it work? Maybe. [More]
What It’s Like To Work At A Subway Franchise, Get Blamed For Everything Customers Don’t Like
By 12.14.12
Reader M. is currently (under-) employed at a Subway franchise. M. has a college degree, and is bright enough to be able to see the economic indicators that show they’ll still be working at Subway for a while yet. Fortunately, we like to give employees a soapbox to educate the public about the things we might not understand about their jobs. That way, Consumerist readers are less likely to act like entitled jerks, treat front-line employees better, and the world is a happier place. In theory. [More]
No Coupons, No Games At Our Super Sad Neighborhood Burger King
By 9.4.12
Fast-food restaurant promotions exist to get customers in the door and to keep them coming back. When Steve and his wife showed up at their regular Burger King for a tasty dinner of Whoppers, they brought along a coupon they had printed from Burger King’s website. It turned out that their local franchise couldn’t accept that coupon. Okay. They could deal with that. It was when the cashier talked up a different promotion, then explained that the restaurant was actually out of game pieces for that promotion, that Steve became annoyed enough to write to Burger King corporate. [More]
Quiznos Risks Defaulting
By 7.21.11
“Torpedoing.” “Toasted.” The food that Quiznos is having trouble selling is full of metaphors for how its business is going. Crunched by the recession, its own policies towards franchise owners, competitors adding toasters, and an “everyday value” strategy that ran counter to its position as a purveyor of premium sandwiches, Quiznos is on the edge of violating its loan terms and could go into default. [More]
Soup Nazi Back In Business, But Not Actually Around To Yell At You
By 7.22.10
Al Yeganeh, the man who inspired Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi character, closed up shop six years ago, but this week he re-opened his business at the same location on 55th Street in NYC under the name “The Original Soup Man.” The company is now a franchise with locations in nine states and Washington, D.C., and unfortunately (for us, but probably not for him) Yeganeh doesn’t actually do any counterwork–he’s just the brand at this point. [More]
Burger King Restaurants Angry Over $1 Burger Promo, File Lawsuit
By 11.13.09
I’ve been wondering how some fast food chains can sell $1 cheeseburgers and still make a profit. Apparently they can’t, which is why a group that represents about 80% of the restaurant’s franchisees have sued the company over the promotion.
Not All Camaro Owners Got Free Pizza From Papa John's
By 8.27.09
Like Quizno’s and KFC before them, Papa John’s went and set up a cute promotion without making sure that all of their franchisees have signed on. Papa John’s founder John Schnatter was reunited with his long-lost 1971 Camaro, and to celebrate, promised free pizza to anyone who drove up to a Papa John’s restaurant in a Camaro. Except, you guessed it, not at all Papa John’s locations.
Memphis Burger Kings: Global Warming Is Baloney
By 5.30.09
At least three Burger Kings in Memphis have recently displayed “GLOBAL WARMING IS BALONEY” on their letter boards, according to the Memphis Flyer and a reader.
