This is part of NRN’s special coverage of the 2011 Multi-Unit Foodservice Operator conference, or MUFSO. The conference is taking place Sept. 25-27 at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas. Follow all coverage on NRN’s ‘At the Show’ section, check out NRN blogs, Reporter’s Notebook, and Tweet with us using #MUFSO.
While a good deal of the MUFSO Award Winning CEO Panel discussion dealt with the dangers of growing for growth’s sake, Don Fox, Firehouse of America chief executive and 2011 Operator of the Year, talked about how his company’s Firehouse Subs chain plans to quadruple in size from 442 units today to 2,000 locations by 2020.
NRN publisher Randall Friedman asked Fox if such ambitious growth would require a change in the approach the Jacksonville, Fla.-based chain has used to expand nearly sevenfold since 2003.
In this video, Fox, flanked by Domino’s J. Patrick Doyle at left and Yard House’s Steele Platt at right, explains how Firehouse Subs will leverage key assets to succeed in the build-out. He also talks about the need to pay additional attention to the chain’s culture.
Watch the video; story continues below
Read about the thoughts of other Golden Chain honorees who took part in the Award Winning CEO Panel
Read the full Golden Chain profile of Don Fox and about some of the remarks he made after being named MUFSO “Operator of the Year” through a vote by NRN readers.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @AJ_NRN