Nearly ten years ago, Ken Eisenband transitioned from restaurant owner to restaurant broker. It was a career switch catalyzed by the sale of his bagel shop in Boca Raton, Florida. When it went unsold for 16 months with one firm, Ken found Eric Gagnon of We Sell Restaurants and reached the closing table in just one month.
Eisenband bought the We Sell Restaurants franchise from Eric shortly after that closing and is now a recognized Top Producer in the national brokerage firm.
For Eisenband, the best part of the job is seeing people achieve their dreams.
“My favorite part is that I help people achieve their dreams of opening and owning a restaurant. I also help people who are looking to get out of the industry and move on to different careers or retire.”
Even post-closing, Eisenband makes a point to visit his clients at their new restaurants and be a customer. He stays in touch with almost every buyer and seller he works with.
However, restaurant brokerage does not come without its own challenges. Eisenband describes that unrealistic expectations from sellers often challenge his role as the business intermediary. Moreover, larger real estate companies and landlords can make the process of buying or selling more difficult. The backing of a national firm behind him offers guidance in these challenges and continued training to overcome them.
“Over time, the challenges are getting better and better as the We Sell Restaurants name is getting more out there," says Eisenband, "We have gotten a very good track record from working with a lot of these different real estate companies."
Ken Eisenband originally hails from the corporate world, which he left in 2000 to enter the restaurant industry. From 2006 to 2012, he owned two restaurants in South Florida. Now that he is a Certified Restaurant Broker with We Sell Restaurants, he enjoys helping sellers move on to a new career themselves.
Operating as a Certified Restaurant Broker® means that Eisenband remains involved in the restaurant industry, but without the overhead stress of employees, scheduling, and grueling labor hours.
It only takes two words for him to summarize the entire experience as a Certified Restaurant Broker: “very” and “happy.”
The switch from restaurant owner to restaurant broker offered a new career in a familiar industry, a sentiment that follows many of our franchise partners. Several Certified Restaurant Brokers came to our franchise model with restaurant experience under their belts in search of a new career. We Sell Restaurants franchise was that new career.
If this sounds like the right career move for you, you can request more information about the Restaurant Business with Banker’s Hours. This opportunity is a business broker franchise specializing in selling restaurants. Download our free guide below to learn more.
ABOUT WE SELL RESTAURANTS
We Sell Restaurants is the nation’s largest business broker franchise focused exclusively on the sale of restaurants, with 20 years of experience in helping buy, sell and lease hospitality locations. We Sell Restaurants and its franchisees have sold thousands of restaurants across the county and maintain a listing inventory of more than $120 million online at their powerhouse restaurant for sale marketplace, including independent and restaurant franchises for sale. We Sell Restaurants is offering franchise opportunities for their brand in select market areas. For more information, visit www.wesellrestaurants.com
Robin Gagnon, Certified Restaurant Broker®, MBA, CBI, CFE is the co-founder of We Sell Restaurants and industry expert in restaurant sales and valuation. Named by Nation’s Restaurant News as one of the “Most Influential Suppliers and Vendors” to the restaurant industry, her articles and expertise appear nationwide in QSR Magazine, Franchising World, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and BizBuySell. She is the co-author of Appetite for Acquisition, an award-winning book on buying restaurants.