Multi-site franchisee Prett Dhillon has been brand loyal to Sydney pizza chain sensation OOSHMAN (formerly Manoosh) since 2008, when he joined the company as a delivery driver.

“I arrived to Australia and I started working at Manoosh, as it was then, delivering pizzas. I became familiar with the business and started working with the founder Charlie [Hoyek]; I was one of the first employees.”

At the same time Prett was completing business studies and began implementing his learnings as he progressed through the business, first as a store manager, then as an area manager.

Buying the first franchise

In July 2018 he bought the first franchise, a brand-new store in Waterloo, Sydney. 

“Charlie said he was looking to franchise the brand, and I said, ‘I really want to be the first franchisee’. This is what I was looking for; I knew the business, I knew the product.”

Prett threw himself into his new venture, leading the team and working in-store for the first 12 months. Then he hired a manager, so he could step back and concentrate on building the business.

Three years later Prett had purchased a second store in Penrith.

“It was in my head that we needed a store in that area, so when it came up there was no way I was going to say no when Charlie offered it to me. It was a good decision; it’s a really great store,” he says.

In December 2023 Prett opened a third store, in North Parramatta.

“When the opportunity came up, I jumped at it. The head office team even helped to set up the store in my absence at the time,” Prett reveals.

Now he focuses on overseeing the operations and business development of his three OOSHMAN stores, supported by his wife and brother-in-law who manage the back office.

Mindset challenge

Looking back, Prett says the long hours and hard work weren’t the biggest challenge as a new business owner. 

“The mindset is the challenge,” he says. “I had developed skills in business as a manager and it takes time to switch your mindset from an employee to a business owner. 

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to do everything too quickly. Sometimes you judge yourself, asking ‘why is that store busy and I’m not?’. With my Penrith store I had to remember that people didn’t know Manoosh outside the inner west,” Prett says.

Building customer relationships is crucial , he says.

“You need to speak to customers, as a business owner you have to be seen. I talk business all the time. And with customers we talk about our fantastic products.”

Following the system

As an OOSHMAN franchisee Prett knows his team can confidently handle daily operations, leaving him to drive his multi-site business.

“We have trained the team and managers to follow the system, and that makes our life easy. Since 2022 I am no longer hands-on, the system is so good,” he says. 

The Manoosh, now OOSHMAN business model has evolved over the years, he points out.

“Charlie has been good with technology, he is always changing it, always moving up. Ours is a very fast-paced business and he has invested in systems to make processes easier.

“There is a lot of work done behind the scenes to make it easy for customers to get the product.”

Prett says he receives great feedback from customers using the app and website, which is good for business.

“Happy customers come back,” he says.

Now there are 19 stores in the OOSHMAN group, and streamlined systems and technology have proved a crucial ingredient for success.

Working hard reaps rewards

Now an OOSHMAN multi-site franchisee, Prett has an eye on acquiring more stores in the next two years.

“In 2008 I didn’t have a vision, I came as a student, English was not my first language. Did I see myself here? No. I was just 18. I knew I had to work hard and be loyal; my father taught me this.”

Running multiple pizza stores is a long way from Prett’s farming-family background. “I learned a lot about hard work from my father; I learned there is no short cut,” he says.

“If you work hard you deserve the success,” he says. “I’ve seen Charlie grow the business from one small bakery to 19 stores and I’ve grown with him.”

“I get help from head office with business building and we keep growing with the system. It works very well with us; we want to leverage the system. Franchising is all about systems and product.

“OOSHMAN is a combination of the best recipes, the dough and ingredients, love, and family business. Charlie’s family opened the first Lebanese bakery in Sydney, and he looks at business as family. 

“What I saw in him, I put in to my business OOSHMAN is in my blood. I’ve spent too much time with the dough! I love it, I like that family is so important and we have good relationships between us all.

“Charlie always says about the business, ‘If you raise it like a baby, it will grow’. This is my baby, and look how it’s grown!”