When 17-year-old Danielle Reece started her front-of-house role at Chicken Treat, she had big plans – but not this big! Fast forward 12 years and Danielle and her husband Dale are the proud owners of seven Chicken Treat stores in south west Perth.
This impressive retail portfolio makes the couple the largest franchise operator in the iconic Western Australian brand’s network.
“I met my husband at Chicken Treat when we were both store managers,” reveals Danielle. “I had worked my way up to management roles in a few different stores and liked the close-knit feel that Chicken Treat creates. Our stores have small teams, so it is like working with family.”
Danielle and Dale leapt into business ownership when they were 22 and 24. The pair bought an established store at Jandakot and continued to bring the high level of care they had shown as managers into their franchise roles.
When 17-year-old Danielle Reece started her front-of-house role at Chicken Treat, she had big plans – but not this big! Fast forward 12 years and Danielle and her husband Dale are the proud owners of seven Chicken Treat stores in south west Perth.
This impressive retail portfolio makes the couple the largest franchise operator in the iconic Western Australian brand’s network.
“I met my husband at Chicken Treat when we were both store managers,” reveals Danielle. “I had worked my way up to management roles in a few different stores and liked the close-knit feel that Chicken Treat creates. Our stores have small teams, so it is like working with family.”
Danielle and Dale leapt into business ownership when they were 22 and 24. The pair bought an established store at Jandakot and continued to bring the high level of care they had shown as managers into their franchise roles.
Achieving goals with Chicken Treat
“I had always been careful with other people’s money,” admits Danielle, “so taking over wasn’t a huge difference. I still ran the shifts, and had the same goals, only then I had to pay the bills!”
Danielle admits to a lifelong entrepreneurial spirit; as a child dreaming up ways to make money using the family pooch, and as a teen starting a party supplies business.
“My business mindset comes from my family; my parents are pretty driven and always investing in their future,” she says.
Working for two franchise partners with large store portfolios spurred on Danielle’s ambition.
“I saw them own five and six stores, and that became my goal. I didn’t expect to have seven; we’re very good at acquiring!
“Our second store was an unexpected opportunity, we got asked to take on an existing store. We bought our third from another franchisee who was moving on, then we added two large drive-through stores.
“In December 2023 we took over the eight-month-old Forrestdale restaurant, and one week later opened a brand-new site at Wattle Grove! Everything was new and it was such an easy, smooth process to launch the store.
Chicken Treat delivers brilliant support
“I believe Chicken Treat now is delivering its strongest support ever to franchisees; it is a brilliant time to open a new store,” she says.
Danielle admits the addition of a second store proved the most challenging element of the couple’s business expansion.
“We had to learn how to not put all our eggs in one basket. It was a massive shift into multi-unit ownership, and a huge learning experience,” she says.
Danielle believes Chicken Treat’s training department has been a real boon as she and Dale have built their business.
“The franchisor support is phenomenal; we have access to brilliant systems and expert business consultants. I particularly value the one-on-one coaching which keeps us on track with our expectations and ensures we meet our financial goals. It is invaluable as we keep growing our business.”
Danielle also worked closely with Chicken Treat’s training coordinator when shifting into three and then four stores.
Accessing franchisor expertise
Now as the portfolio grows, she believes adding more stores reduces the operational challenges of multi-store ownership.
“We like to keep our staff teams quite close, but we can move staff around if they want more shifts, or we need to fill rostering gaps. The more stores, the easier it is to manage people.”
Danielle is a passionate Chicken Treat brand ambassador, and she sees the business not just as a return on investment but a channel to develop her staff.
“I absolutely love managing people and nothing makes me happier than seeing them succeed, with me or in another role.”
A case in point is the promotion of a loyal staff member, who at 24 is helping the couple forge a new path in the Chicken Treat chain: they are the first franchisees to appoint an area manager.
Dale and Danielle currently share restaurant leadership with individual managers as they create the structure for each store to have its own manager under the area manager.
“Our area manager has worked with us for five years; she is like a mini-me and she manages two stores. With so many restaurants we need external support, so I worked closely with Chicken Treat’s training coordinator to create the area manager role,” says Danielle.
“Everything I do is for Chicken Treat. I am passionate about the brand and the food and everything I do in store reflects on the brand, so I want it to be good.”
Realising business potential
While Danielle loves every opportunity to be hands-on with the team in store, she is equally driven by the business-building potential at Chicken Treat.
“I love having seven stores in one brand! Buying a franchise has given me the skills and knowledge to run a strong, viable business,” says Danielle. “I’ve learned so much and we get help with everything, from employee relations and payroll to marketing support.
“Investing in Chicken Treat has allowed us to do what we always wanted to do, set us up for the future. We’re looking to have a family and know we could take off as much time as we need because these are self-sufficient businesses.
“Our franchise investment has given us the lifestyle we always wanted, the ability to build a multi-store business with a strong brand, and financial backing for life.”