While evidence suggests that major chains — particularly quick serves and fast casuals — best weathered the worst of the pandemic, emerging concepts are nonetheless well positioned to grow in the coming year.
One reason? Franchise demand is growing as the so-called Great Resignation marches forward and people seek new opportunities for their careers.
“I think there's a huge economic shift in the way employees are looking at their employers, in the way they're looking at their life. This pandemic changed so many people's lives, and so they are now asking themselves, ‘What is it that I truly want to do?’” said David Leonardo, CEO of South Florida based treat franchise Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream. “As a franchisor, I'm able to sit down with people and have those conversations with them and say, ‘What is it that you want to do with your life? Do you want to be an entrepreneur?’”
Chill-N has eight locations open, with 13 in development — eight of which are set to open in 2022. And Leonardo is setting the brand up with a streamlined, largely automated model that maximizes profitability and appeals to those who are interested in jumping into the franchise game.
In this interview from Take-Away with Sam Oches, Leonardo explains how automation is key to Chill-N’s store model, why it’s recruiting entrepreneurial franchisees who are usually fans of the brand and how it’s approaching new technologies realistically as a startup concept. Plus, Sam shares his five take-aways that listeners should take with them from the interview.
Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].