🍟 5/7/2024 – From 1 to 12 Jimmy John’s

FROM THE WOLF DEN

1) From 1 to 12 Jimmy John’s

My latest podcast episode is with Deb Merrill, a 12 unit owner of Jimmy John’s.

Deb’s story is particularly interesting as she is a true operator of her locations. Naturally, she had a hard time scaling up, as there’s no way to be in more than 1 store at the same time!

Deb and I dive deep into what she learned about building herself out of the business, and in particular how using a restaurant hiring and management software called Workstream was a game changer for her!

Check out our conversation here.


2) Flynn Group Buying More Applebee’s

“Casual dining is dead” – everyone

Greg Flynn – “hold my beer”.

Flynn Group, the largest Applebee’s franchisee (and owner of thousands of other franchises) agreed to build 25 new Applebee’s in the next 7 years, in addition to purchasing 26 existing restaurants from another franchisee.

Flynn Group operates 450 Applebee’s in 23 states already, which is ~30% of the chains footprint.

The announcement comes at a time when Applebee’s sales have been in minor decline, so this is a vote of confidence from the franchise legend.

3) Roark Completes $9B Subway Acquisition

Roughly eight months after the acquisition was announced, Roark Capital’s Deal with Subway finally closed on April 30. 

The Roark Capital portfolio is pretty insane. They’re a giant hiding in plain sight, and could be worth tens of billions (if not hundreds) if they were to IPO the entire beast:

  • Sonic 
  • Moe’s 
  • Arby’s 
  • Carvel 
  • Dunkin’ 
  • Cinnabon 
  • Jamba Juice 
  • Jimmy John’s 
  • Auntie Anne’s  
  • Baskin Robbins 
  • Buffalo Wild Wings 

EXTRA SAUCE đź’Ą

The Sports Bra, a Pub Toasting Female Athletes, to Franchise
When the big game is on tap, many Portland, Ore., residents head to The Sports Bra. That’s not a typo; it’s a reference to a start-up pub that celebrates female athletes and airs only women’s sports on its big-screen televisions. The Sports Bra is a winner among local consumers, and now with funding from a VIP source, founder and CEO Jenny Nguyen will franchise her business model around the United States. 


Big Chicken’s World Tour: Plans Revealed for Global Franchise Expansion
Big Chicken is officially entering its global restaurant era. In fact, the brand is opening its first international location this spring in Manchester, England. Following the UK opening, the next stop will be in Canada as it works with partner Oak View Group (OVG) to enter arenas there later this year. Plus, Big Chicken has inked a multi-national franchise agreement for Central America. The group will develop locations across Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama.

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