Finding a culture fit
When CEO Dan Chaon pulls out his elevator pitch to talk about why Native Grill & Wings is a great franchise investment, he doesn’t necessarily go straight to the numbers (like that $2M AUV).
There’s something else he thinks is more pressing: Finding a culture fit.
“We really do want to put wings on Mars,” Chaon says. Is it an outlandish idea? Of course. But how much was ever accomplished by people with mundane dreams?
“That shows our innovation and our drive to be ahead of the pack. That’s our culture. Do you want to come along for that ride? Do you want to commit emotionally and business-wise to that? If you do, then everything else we can teach you.”
Besides a culture fit, here’s what else we’re looking for in a candidate
- Experience in restaurant operations or multi-unit ownership
- Net worth of $1 million
- Liquid assets of $500,000
- Ability to invest in a franchise with a startup cost of $998,000 to $2,620,500
- Leadership skills to manage a restaurant franchise with an AUV of $2 million
Hands-on approach is key to success
Franchise owner Rod Ticknor, one of our longest-tenured and most successful franchisees, might add “hands-on operator” to that list. For Ticknor, who owns two locations in the Phoenix area, this has never been an absentee-owner business.
“You’ve got to be hands-on in the restaurant,” he says. “It's my business. I want to be there. You need to be involved in your business if you want to be perceived as an independent but have the backing of a franchise.”
That could mean anything from changing light bulbs to working a shift, but it’s especially important to socialize with customers.
“You need to be in there rubbing elbows with everybody and talking to your regular customers, whether it be the family that comes in every Tuesday for wings or the patrons at the bar or your regular to-go customers,” says Ticknor. “That goes a long way in the business world.”