The NRN 50: Super model

Despite the well-publicized slips and falls his company has experienced, Shakey’s Pizza operator Chuck Wilburn is glad he chose to remain a franchisee rather than become an independent restaurateur.

Franchising, he says, “is the way to go because you have a solid concept, a proven product and in our case, a lot of value in a name.”

The growth of the restaurant industry, particularly within the last 50 years, has primarily been built on franchising. Without it, it’s likely the ind