Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Boulder, Colo.-based Rush Bowls is preparing to ramp up franchise growth and go from today’s 52 locations to more than 100 in the coming years.
Andrew Pudalov, who founded the brand in 2004 after leaving his Wall Street job in the wake of the September 11 attacks, says his extensive knowledge of national distribution channels — learned through a retail partnership with Whole Foods — helped the brand quickly scale to more than 20 states. But he emphasizes that it’s Rush Bowls’ commitment to quality that has really helped it thrive; the brand carefully polices its high standards with franchisees and is quick to kick operators out of the system if they try to cut corners.
Pudalov joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to talk about how his tight control of supply relationships has streamlined the growth process and how he pivoted to franchising after the Whole Foods relationship fell apart when his copacker closed up shop.
In this conversation, you’ll learn more about why:
- Dayparts are shifting, and some brands are better suited to meet the moment
- Texture is as important as flavor when exploring innovation
- True customization isn’t possible if you’re not making foods from scratch
- Tight control of your supply relationships will ease expansion
- You need to strictly police and enforce your brand standards with franchisees
- You should consider developing a store prototype for employees with disabilities
Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].