Casual dining chain Town & Country Pizza & Pasta is doing things a little differently when it comes to signing up and nurturing franchisees.
From the first phone call through to grand opening, the franchisor is invested in the relationship: determining if the franchise buyer is right for the brand; matching the potential franchisee to the right location; ensuring franchisees have the best start with hands-on support.
Michael Graham, who heads up franchise recruitment and development, explains the franchisor’s commitment starts with the first enquiry.
“We really care about every lead and every enquiry. We have timely, disciplined follow up; the aim is to return a call within 30 minutes. If it is an interstate enquiry from a different time zone, I’ll get back when it’s appropriate,” Michael says.
“We respect people’s time and sometimes they can only get in touch at the weekend so I’ll respond to texts and phone calls promptly.”
He makes sure potential franchisees understand the franchise selection process.
“Franchise buyers know that my role is to see if our brand is the right fit, first of all. Then if we proceed, it’s to help them in the early stages of the purchase with securing a site, helping with lease terms and ensuring they have the foundations for success,” Michael says.
Franchise buyers gain insights into operations
CEO Joe Rossi says an important part of the process is recognising if a franchise buyer is a match for the brand; if strategies align. It is crucial to safeguard the brand’s reputation, to ensure franchisees are in tune with the way Town & Country conducts business, he says.
“We don’t use third party aggregators, for instance, and we emphasise this in our early discussions. For both the franchisee, and the brand, it’s important to determine there is a good fit.”
Part of the process is a discovery day, allowing a prospective franchisee to see behind the scenes, getting a taste for what’s involved in running a casual dining restaurant.
Michael says,“We drive to a restaurant for lunch so if our franchise buyer doesn’t know the brand they can try our food and talk to our franchisees. Then we head to two takeaway outlets to observe the last hour of preparation before they open at 4pm.
“These are great insights into the operations, and to ensure our potential franchisees get a complete picture of the brand we visit the Waurn Ponds flagship,” he says.
Dinner with Michael, Joe and his father Frank, who founded the business, is an opportunity for relationship-building.
“Joe and Frank make themselves available for any questions and potential franchisees can reach out to them any time of day or night,” Michael says.
Relationship-building is critical to the franchise partnership
Joe believes the one-on-one engagement with franchise buyers is crucial.
“Our hospitable approach and family environment is so much a part of who we are. And Michael sets the tone for our incoming franchisees so they see it is a partnership for the long term,” Joe says.
That partnership is cemented with hands-on support during the vital restaurant-opening period. The newest store set to open in June, at Stockland Sienna Wood in Perth, is a prime example of this.
Joe, Michael and the team are on-hand before the soft launch to provide support, encouragement, and to learn.
Joe says “We are taking a more localised approach to our support, it’s a new strategy for us. We have the team on the ground planning the grand opening.
“We will gain a better understanding of local nuances by being here in person, as we support our newest franchisee,” he says.
The Stockland Sienna Wood location is a newly-developed area, surrounded by established suburbs.
“This is a way for us to get an edge on the local area. We have all the data; now we are seeing what it’s like on the ground,” Joe says.
It’s an opportunity to build a strong loyal customer base, he adds.
Investing in hands-on support
This new strategy has developed from the support the team provided for their first interstate store launch in Western Australia.
“When our restaurant in Margaret River opened, we avoided a big brand approach, and our localised support worked,” Joe says.
It’s an investment in time and money, but one worth making, he adds.
“We are doing this purposefully. If we don’t invest now when the economy is challenging, then when will we? How can we expect franchisees to look at us as a safe bet if we don’t back ourselves?” Joe asks.
For franchise buyers stepping in to their first business, and possibly their first hospitality business, the extensive experience and support at head office can be hugely reassuring.
With all corporate employees getting a taste for what it’s like to work in a restaurant (Michael did a three-month restaurant management program) everyone understands the challenges and shares a frontline perspective.
“It’s about commitment. We show commitment to our franchisees, and that’s what we look for in return,” Joe says.
He describes brand expansion as “purposeful and controlled,” although new franchisees can now get into a restaurant more faster than before.
“Because we have more infrastructure, and we’ve improved processes, we can open a new restaurant in a shorter period of time. We’ve got economies of scale,” Joe says.
The business is looking to extend its reach in the home state of Victoria, in Western Australia, and then expand into new South Wales.
And as Town & Country extends further across the country, it will bring its high-level commitment and premium support to set franchisees on a path to success.