franchising

The four largest frozen yogurt chains are Tutti Frutti, Menchie’s, Yogurtland, and Pinkberry. Locations: Worldwide there are over 700+locations and more are coming soon. Area served: Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, England, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Qatar, Scotland, Singapore, Tahiti, Taiwan, Vietnam History: Tutti Frutti was founded...

The famous New York food cart is coming to the west coast. Started as a single cart in 1990, Halal Guys has begun building a franchise. Serving the tastiest middle eastern cuisine, many of their iconic carts are still functioning on the streets of New York. Patrons cannot seems to get enough of their delicious meats served over rice with...

Chain restaurants, for many people, generate this idea of semi decent food caused by production lines and cost cutting measures. Although it may be true about chains serving hamburgers and pizza, it cannot be said about barbeque restaurants. From terrible quality produce or partially smoked meat there will be a noticeable difference in taste. An exceptional BBQ joint can easily...

Franchising is booming, both here and across the pond. FRANdata says demand for franchise units in the U.S. is expected to increase more than 12 percent in 2014, the highest rate of increase in five years. The UK has over 900 franchise operations. "The diversity on offer is substantial," writes Paul Stafford, public relations manager at the British Franchise Association...

Randy Vlasic and Alex Veinot have known each other since high school. After graduating from college, the two best friends ended up working together as sales executives for the same company. However, the two longed to open their own business. In a recent Franchise Players Q&A interview, Vlasic and Veinot talk with Entrepreneur.com's Kate Taylor about how they decided that...

The boom in franchising continues through 2014, but the past year also saw private equity play an important role. In a recent post in the Legal News section on JDsupra.com, Thomas Pitegoff says that private equity offers a franchisor with a growing franchise system a promising pathway to rapid growth. "An investment group can assist a franchise company strategically, tactically...

It was while working for the New York subway system that Tom Scarda found his own track to a career in franchising. As a first step, Scarda became trained as a FranChoice consultant and a certified franchise executive. Soon Scarda was New York's first Maui Wowi franchisee, in the New York City's Jacob Javits Convention Center, one of the hottest...

Franchising's boom includes Australia, according to a report from down under. Franchising Australia 2014, collated by Griffith University and sponsored by the Franchise Council of Australia, found there were 1160 business format franchisors operating in Australia, with the sector employing 460,000 people and having an estimated total sales turnover of $144 billion. Impressively, between 2012, while the overall number of...

One of franchising's strengths is the breadth of industries covered. The International Franchise Association there are currently more than 750,000 franchise establishments in the United States covering approximately 75 industries; so if you're wondering if franchising is right for you, the number of options won't be a problem. We spotted an interesting and informative blog post by Crystal Bedell about IT franchise...

A strategy to expand without significant capital expenditures has Steak 'n Shake franchising more aggressively. A recent Nation's Restaurant News (NRN) report on Steak 'n Shake's financial results notes that according to a 2014 annual report released by parent Biglari Holdings total earnings before income taxes fell nearly $2 million, to $26.5 million in 2014, from $28.4 million a year...

News about point of sale data breaches continues unabated but we also see convictions of those who would conspire to hack into point of sale (POS) systems. One such example is found in a post by Grant Gross on PCWorld.com's LEGAL business, security blog, "U.S. man sentenced for hacking POS systems at Subway." As the only full-service point of sale...

Success in franchising spreads to many others when one considers the key roles played by suppliers, and professional advisors. In a recent CPAPracticeAdvisor.com post, Hugh Duffy, Chief Marketing Officer for Build Your Firm, a marketing firm dedicated to the accounting industry, writes about Navjeet Chahal who started Chahal & Associates in 2003. Chahal has managed to share in the success...

For 34 years, Bryan Rhodes worked his way up the ladder in the fast-food franchise industry, from beginning behind the counter to ultimately become the vice president of operations at a Burger King franchise. Only then did Rhodes conclude that, well, the restaurant industry wasn't for him — but franchising was. In a recent Franchise Players Q&A interview, Rhodes talks...

It is encouraging to see a strengthening of the bonds between franchising and our military veterans. Since its launch last year, home services company Home Franchise Concepts (HFC) has signed twenty veterans to become franchisees through the Million Dollar Franchise Event (MDFE) initiative. We found news of the program in a recent post on the Daily Herald website HeraldExtra.com, "Local...

We love reading about how franchising can power growth for privately held companies. Any way you slice it, it's hard to imagine how the Achatz Handmade Pie Co. could establish 150 locations across the United States in the next five years without turning to franchising. Indeed, after 21 years the much-loved brand based in Michigan's Chesterfield Township has sold its...

Like many national chain restaurants, Buffalo's Cafe has a tagline: Buffalo’s Cafe – Where Everyone Is Family ™. Paul Dalrymple is one Buffalo's Cafe franchisee that took his tagline to heart. Before he said his "I do" Dalrymple and his future father-in-law had been partners in a Buffalo's Cafe franchise. Dalrymple now has three sons, and the family partnership now...

A number of once-thriving franchises are facing disgruntled franchisees, store closures, bankruptcies and never-imagined marketing scenarios. In their recent Better Your Business special report, "How To Steer Clear Of Franchise Financial Disasters," CNBC.com's Zac Bissonnette speaks with an unnamed Quiznos franchisee who summed up his experience: "There has been a decline in support. The corporate and field office support staff...

We enjoy reading Jason Daley's Franchisors posts on the website Entrepreneur.com, and wish to share, in particular, "How I Grew My Wheelchair Ramp Company Into a Franchise," about the experience of franchisor Julian Gordon. In his Q&A with Entrepreneur.com, Gordon shares how after twenty years running a metal fabrication shop, he became disheartened with the boom-or-bust cycle of the construction...

For Affordable Homes of South Texas (AHSTI) director Bobby Calvillo, whose job it is to help his organization build enough homes to meet the needs of low-income South Texan families, creating the means for having a constant positive cash flow was a top priority. So in 2012, Calvillo convinced the AHSTI board to build a Blimpie restaurant in Weslaco, Texas. In...

More people are dreaming of franchising, ready for a life change as the market is once again heating up. But before you take the plunge, make sure your due diligence includes working with a franchise attorney, someone who knows franchising inside and out. We strongly agree with a SmallBizTrends.com post we spied, "The Importance of Hiring A Franchise Attorney," by...

The world's largest convenience store franchiser, 7-Eleven, is nearing completion of prepping stores from its 2011 Wilson Farms store chain at a store franchising sale in Western New York. Part of the company's national strategy, 7-Eleven purchased the 188-store Wilson Farms chain and shed some 30 stores through auction, closed others and prepared the 90 area stores for franchising. Given...

Franchising continues to be an attractive career change consideration for many Americans, in part because of proven business plans and methods. Therefore, it is imperative that potential franchisees understand what it takes to be successful within a given chain's franchising framework. Just as we happily share our vast point of sale experience and expertise with startup owners in order to...

When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's amore; and investors seeking a bigger slice of the surging fast-casual restaurant market are in love with pizza. Just as we share our vast point of sale experience and expertise with startup owners in order to help them make the best decisions from the very beginning, we at...

We enjoy reading the Q&A posts in the Franchise Players section on the website Entrepreneur.com, and wish to share, in particular, the one recently with seasoned franchisee Binoy Kothari. In his Q&A with Entrepreneur.com, Kothari shares how he sought opportunities in the restaurant industry and became a franchisee, beginning with Subway in 2002. In 2010, he purchased three struggling Baskin-Robbins...

Texas Roadhouse, the steakhouse franchise, has been rounding up sales as it grows out its footprint, according to the Motley Fool in a recent Top Franchises post on Nasdaq.com. Given the strong presence Sintel Systems has in the retail, restaurant and service industries' point of sale marketplace, we share these service sector growth trends with our customers and franchise hopefuls...

Franchising is booming. FRANdata says demand for franchise units is expected to increase more than 12 percent in 2014, the highest rate of increase in five years. Furthermore, the lending shortfall for franchises (that is, the difference between projected loan demand and loan supply) is expected to be one-half that of last year's figure. And yet, how frequently do you...

While franchising is booming in popularity — in part because many people see it as an easier route to entrepreneurship in an uncertain economic landscape — the Wall Street Journal is reporting the names of the 10 brands whose franchisees were the worst in terms of loan defaults among Small Business Administration (SBA) borrowers. The newspaper recently posted their analysis...

It’s a pivotal moment for your booming business: the possibility of becoming a successful franchisor. Before going any further, it's time to get up to speed with the complexities of franchise legislation. We spotted a thorough roundup on the topic of state and federal franchise laws in a recent blog post at TweakYourBiz.com that is well-suited to the necessary first...

Time is money, so it makes sense that franchisors who value time by creating more of it are more likely to award more new franchises. That's the viewpoint shared by Joel Libava, a/k/a The Franchise King. "It has long been thought that organization is the key to success," writes Libava in a recent post on his website. "Business moves faster...

Nothing succeeds like success, so it's natural that persons interested in franchise opportunities strongly consider those companies at the top of their game. In a recent blog post, "The 12 Best Fast-Food Franchises To Own," Forbes.com lists the top twelve performers with the most sales per individual restaurant. Given the strong presence Sintel Systems has in the retail, restaurant and...

The nation's pivot toward better-burger restaurants continues to gain momentum as rumors surface that Danny Meyer's Shake Shack is considering an IPO this year. In her online post, "Shake Shack Considering An IPO," Nation's Restaurant News editor and restaurant finance expert Lisa Jennings says, "The news follows an earlier rumor that the parent to the West Coast’s Habit Burger Grill chain...

Many businesspeople today are considering frozen yogurt franchising, and it can be helpful for them to read the story of how someone else found success in that arena. Brian Trager, for example, spent 20 years as an international businessman, a producer-exporter in Costa Rica, consulting in Vietnam and working in New York City startups before getting into frozen yogurt franchising...

In one of our recent posts, "NYC To Host International Franchise Expo (IFC)," we recommended the June, 2014 event as an excellent way forward into the world of franchising.  Recently we noticed a short video, made at the IFC, in a post on Entrepreneur.com, "Would You Make A Good Franchisee?" Because franchisees are a unique breed of entrepreneur, the three-minute...

On July 29, 2014, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that McDonald's, which for over a year and a half has been the target of protesting workers and lawsuits over low wages and questionable labor practices, is considered to be a co- employer along with the owner of the franchise. In the run-up to the ruling, McDonald's has been...

The franchise formula has a proven track record, but many potential entrepreneurs may be wondering if they have exactly what it takes to become a successful franchisee. To find answers, consider Joel Libava's "10 Habits of Highly Successful Future Franchisees" post at Entrepreneur.com. "In order to be a successful franchise owner, you have to do a lot of things right...

What lessons may be learned from the problems plaguing Sbarro, RadioShack and Quiznos? In their recent post, " Why These Once Thriving Franchises Have Fallen on Hard Times," Entrepreneur.com looks at how the once-thriving franchises are facing bankruptcies, store closures, disgruntled franchisees and nightmarish marketing scenarios. "There are many aspects of franchising that have nothing to do with chance, such...

Restaurant franchising continues to be an attractive career change consideration for many Americans, in part because of proven business plans and methods. Therefore, it is imperative that potential franchisees understand what it takes to be successful within a given restaurant chain's franchising framework. Just as we happily share our vast point of sale experience and expertise with startup owners in...

You're dreaming you heard about a hot "Product X" franchise opportunity. You see your future and follow your gut instinct. In the dream, you're a freshly minted franchisee, standing proudly in front of your new business beneath beautiful, crimson banners. In their post, the experts at BlackEnterprise.com suggest that, if you're dreaming of franchising, it's time to wake up to...

In what may be another sign of continuing growth and dynamism in the restaurant sector of the economy, Patrice & Associates Hospitality Recruiting (PAHR) has introduced a regional development franchising program. Given the strong presence Sintel Systems has in the retail, restaurant and service industries' point of sale marketplace, we share these service sector growth trends with our customers and...

Dreaming of franchising? Fantastic! You're ready for a life change and the market is heating up. But before you take the plunge, make sure your due diligence includes interviews with existing franchisees who can say, "Been There, Done That." We strongly agree with an Entrepreneur.com post we spied, "Interviewing Existing Franchisees," and subtitled "When investigating a franchise, don't forget to...

Franchises can fail, but how and why? And how may failure be avoided? Franchising, licensing and intellectual property lawyer Tony Wilson shares some thoughts on the subject in an online report, "Why So Many Franchises Fail," at TheGlobeandMail.com. Just as we happily share our vast point of sale experience and expertise with startup owners in order to help them make...

Along with our customers, we're buoyed by news from several sources that franchise growth is increasing at the fastest rate in five years. In a recent blog post, "Two Reports Show Franchise Growth Expected to Increase at Fastest Rate in Five Years," TravelandTourWorld.com provides an excellent summary of the key findings in two major reports from economic consulting firms specializing...

The Franchiser/Franchisee relationship is a lot like a marriage. Do You Take This Franchiser?Before you say, "I do," you may want to hear yourself say, "Due Diligence." We spotted just that sentiment in the article titled "Franchisees: Don't Say 'I Do' to a Franchisor Unless the Chemistry is Right," posted on Entrepreneur.com. Just as we happily share our vast point...

Fornino chef Karl Wilder, writing for HuffingtonPost.com on "How To Franchise With Integrity… and Control," discusses a recent experience that gave him new insight into how a franchise may adapt and grow in diverse cultures. Known for his three artisanal New York City pizza establishments, Wilder was recently given the opportunity to consult with the Magnolia Bakery franchise to create...

Managing the time, money and resources you need to start your own business is not easy. From deciding on a business, creating a business and marketing plan to finding a location and getting a loan, securing an entrepreneur's rewards means first taking on plenty of risk. Or does it? For many individuals seeking to become their own boss, a better—and...

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the upcoming work week: According to a recent poll conducted by Monster.com, nearly 60 percent of Americans say they get the Sunday Night Blues "really bad."  In a recent post titled "New Study – Why People Who Run Franchises Are Happier," FranchiseHelp.com asks, "So what happened to Sundays?" Their answer is, "In short, as...

Evidence is mounting that, as baby boomers exit their professional careers, they're turning to franchising to achieve the level of autonomy that comes with being your own boss. We at Sintel Systems found this of particular interest, as it matches the momentum we've witnessed in mid-life career changes and older entrepreneurs entering into the franchise sector, a major area of...

Gift Card Reports Today Sintel Systems is addressing what happens to your money and your reports when you sell gift cards. If you've made any gift card sales today you won't be receiving any of that money when you make your settlement for the night. Gift cards are a liability and should be looked to as a different entity from...

Franchise Owners Associations continue to make headway in seeking legislative protections as New Hampshire joins California, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island (already successfully passed) in introducing bills to protect franchised businesses. A blog post at BlueMauMau.org, "New Hampshire to Introduce Franchise Protection Bill," reports that New Hampshire representative Pat Abrami has indicated that he has filed legislation to "provide...

What are franchisers to make of the growing movement among low-wage fast-food workers in the U.S., demanding an increase from the current $7.25 an hour minimum wage to a $15 an hour living wage? Just as we share our vast point of sale (POS) experience and expertise with startup owners in order to help them make the best decisions from...

Payroll giant ADP has released its National Franchise Report which claims that U.S. franchise employment added 25,060 jobs in October — a figure substantially greater than in recent months. We at Sintel found this of particular interest due to the momentum we've witnessed in the retail and restaurant franchise sector, a major area of our point of sale (POS) expertise...

Given the horror stories of stores nearly crushed by deal-hungry customers, small business owners may be forgiven for their wariness over the daily deal. And yet, success stories abound — so the question is: How to strike a balance and achieve a daily deal program that works for a small business and its clientele? An answer may be found in...

Given the broad awareness of certain entrepreneurs' early success in their late teens or 20s (Gates, Jobs, Ellison, Dell, Zuckerberg, Brin and Page), expectations for entrepreneurial success would seem to skew in favor of the old saw, "Youth must be served." Lately however, that outdated adage is being tested and found wanting. In an earlier Sintel blog post we referenced...

"Think you're past your prime?" asks Inc.com. "Think again." In an article entitled "Never Too Old To Start A Business," Inc.com references the Kaufman Foundation's annual Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, which points out that the number of new businesses started by older entrepreneurs aged 55 and over has risen to 23.4 percent, up from just 14.3 percent in 1996. We...

Along with our customers, we're buoyed by a USA Today report that, despite October's partial government shutdown, "Activity at service firms accelerated, boosted by a jump in sales and more hiring." Given the strong presence Sintel Systems has in the retail, restaurant and service industries POS marketplace, we share these service sector growth trends with our customers and franchise hopefuls...

Two years ago, as part of the International Franchise Association (IFA) VetFran program's Operation Enduring Opportunity and the White House Joining Forces Initiative, the IFA and its 600 VetFran member companies committed to recruit and hire 80,000 veterans, wounded warriors and military spouses by 2014. Their timing couldn't have been better, given that the current resurgence in franchising coincides with...