Amit Chillar and Noor Sarwara head up a La Porchetta franchise in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine. They’ve been with the brand for three years and love its family-orientated culture. 

The opportunity to invest in a business model that posed little or no risk as opposed to an independent business played an important role in their decision to take on the Italian food franchise.  

“Franchising is a safe way to invest your money. La Porchetta is an established model and we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel,” says Amit.

“Having come from an accounting background, I couldn’t think of anything better than a La Porchetta franchise. All the help is there – you receive the right training and the support staff are with you all the way. They are there to help you whenever you need them.”

He adds franchising was appealing as the pair did not have prior business management experience.

THE FINANCIALS

Financing the initial franchise investment proved challenging for the couple – Amit and Noor saved for years before they could afford to purchase the business.

“It was pretty tough, especially for a business of this size. You really need to have savings. We saved for three to four years and borrowed from family and the bank,” Amit says.

“It was a challenge, because we had no experience in franchising and no equity, but we had great guidance along the way. The existing franchisee of the business we were buying and the La Porchetta CEO helped us a lot, and the bank was very helpful.”

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BRAND

The family orientated nature of the business, as well as cultural similarities played a key role in the pair’s decision to invest in La Porchetta.

“La Porchetta is a family owned franchise with a family culture, so it’s easy to reach the CEO and others within the business. This became apparent during the due diligence process.

“I come from an Indian background and we are thought of as being like Italians when it comes to food – we love good food. I’ve always been a big fan of Italian food and always wanted to be involved in some way, so I grabbed the opportunity,” he adds.

FRANCHISOR SUPPORT

Amit and Noor were eager to learn about the business, and they found La Porchetta’s initial training program incredibly helpful.

“It was just amazing, it helped us a lot. We were trained at the Carlton restaurant and learned about the history and culture of the company, and got to meet with other franchisees in the system,” he says.

“The training covered every step of the business, from dishwashing to cash management and banking, basically everything you need to know from the start of each day to the end.”

The company’s training program covered more than just the day-to-day running of the business, too. “There were many things that we had absolutely no idea about, like recruiting and what to look for in new staff as well as various other aspects of the business,” Amit adds.

THE PARTNERSHIP

Rather than impinge on their relationship, Amit says the franchise has in fact brought he and his wife closer.

“It’s really amazing. You choose your own hours and you can spend more time with your partner. We have time to discuss any issues and we sit together to make decisions and move ahead. It’s really easy to understand each other when you are in business together.

“We’ve owned the business together for three years and have never had any problems.”

The strength of the couple’s relationship could be attributed to their ability to separate work and personal commitments.  

“We try not to bring work home. It does come home with us sometimes, but we try and keep it low profile and we don’t discuss too much at home. We note it on a piece of paper, leave it on the table and discuss it the next morning at work,” Amit explains.

“With La Porchetta, there’s not too much to worry about in terms of bringing work issues home. If you are doing things the way they are meant to be done and the way you have been trained, you won’t take too many problems home with you.”

THE FUTURE

Amit and Noor recognise the business faces a number of key challenges, including the state of the economy, which has prompted people to save rather than spend their money, as well as increased competition.

“I was worried initially, but I believe in the brand, keeping customers happy and training our staff and that’s what we’re focusing on. My immediate aim is to look after my customers and staff on a daily basis,” Amit says.

“I would love to see this business grow even more. La Porchetta Sunshine has been here for around 15 years and many of our customers have grown up with the restaurant. They tell us they came here with their families as children – many think the restaurant is better than ever and that we’re doing something great here. That’s what helps me sleep better at night.”