Restaurant Brokers attend International Franchise Meeting

The restaurant brokers just finished a whirlwind few days at the International Franchise Association annual meeting held in Las Vegas Nevada.  As franchisors ourselves and members of the International Franchise Association, this is the time of year when we meet CEO’s of major restaurant corporations and attend round table discussions where we are face to face with the likes of Executive Vice President of McDonald’s, Richard Crawford or Director of Franchise Development at Jersey Mike’s or Senior leadership at  Kristal Burgers. 

For the restaurant brokers, the annual meeting and other interactions give us a unique perspective into the world of franchising as we work “both sides of the fence.”  As franchisors ourselves, we learn from the best in the industry on how to offer our own We Sell Restaurants restaurant brokers and franchisees the best possible experience.  In addition, we are able to make valuable contacts among restaurant franchisors that need our services to sell some of their units.  Restaurant buyers find it is often difficult to purchase an existing franchise restaurant for sale or break into a top tier franchises unless you are super wealthy and can commit to multi-store deals in limited territories.  A re-sale of an existing franchise restaurant for sale is an entirely different matter.  Franchisors refer these single unit opportunities to the restaurant brokers when a death, divorce or partnership dispute might require the quick sale of a business.  Sometimes the referral comes when the franchisee is less successful than the parent company would like and they are recruiting someone new to take over the store.  In either case, the restaurant brokers jump in allowing us to offer brand name franchise restaurants for sale on our website like Burger King, Church’s Chicken or Checkers Drive Thru.

It wasn’t all work, however as we attended some great events as well.  Sunday night was the opening with a “Taste of Franchising” event.  Some new emerging brands as well as some very familiar faces allowed all the attendees to sample their tasty offerings. We can only tell you we were stuffed from the event with the winning “taste” in our minds being a Turkey sandwich at a new franchise called Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop  who’s take on a Thanksgiving dinner on a roll (the Cran-Slam Club) was a big success.  The sandwich featured dressing, white meat turkey, a delicious cranberry smear and other great flavors.  This is a franchise to watch if this tasting by the restaurant brokers was any indication.

We also attended the Supplier Forum where suppliers to the industry were on hand with booths featuring their products which ranged from telephone systems to back office systems to help manage your franchise as it grows more units and needs stronger processes.

One of the highlights for these restaurant brokers however, was the keynote speech by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.  Now serving as a Professor of International Studies at Stanford University in California, she brilliantly laid out some priorities for the country in an upbeat and positive message.  In her mind, the strength of America lies with its embracing of immigrant cultures that land here and truly believe in the land of opportunity.  She received multiple standing ovations during her remarks and then graciously accepted questions from the audience which ranged from her take on the Benghazi tragedy to her thoughts on charter schools and educating our youth.

At night, there were the parties as the restaurant brokers networked over cocktails and small bites again with industry leaders.  Two to three parties a night were the order of the day and we finished, exhausted, exhilarated and excited about the prospects and opportunities in this great industry.

We’re on the plane heading back to Atlanta now, blogging about our experiences.

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