As featured on the Bliss Business Podcast with Robin Gagnon, CEO of We Sell Restaurants
Can a restaurant brokerage firm grow profitably without compromising its values? That is the question I tackled on the Bliss Business Podcast with hosts Stephen Skak and Mike Looi. As CEO of We Sell Restaurants, I shared our journey of balancing financial performance with empathy, purpose, and community impact, something we believe is not only possible, but essential.
At We Sell Restaurants, we’ve answered that question with a resounding yes. In fact, we believe long-term profitability is only sustainable when it’s anchored in purpose. That doesn’t mean we don’t make hard decisions. It means we make them with humanity, transparency, and integrity.
At We Sell Restaurants, the word “sell” is in our name, but we never treat selling like a transaction. Every restaurant we sell represents someone’s dream, their hard work, and often their legacy. We’re not just closing deals, we’re guiding transitions in people’s lives. That mindset fuels our culture of empathy, respect, and service. We’re helping someone close a chapter of their life, and someone else open a new one.
Restaurants are where life happens. They are cultural landmarks and emotional touchstones. From birthdays to job interviews, from grief to celebration, we gather in restaurants to mark important moments. In Appetite for Acquisition, our award-winning book published over a decade ago, we wrote, “Restaurants are the fabric of our culture. The neighborhood restaurant is where we go on our first date, celebrate a promotion, and gather the family to announce our engagement. In today’s society, the neighborhood restaurant or pub has taken over the corner for the place to gossip, hang out, and learn your neighborhood. In a high-tech world, the restaurant is a high- touch environment where we still interact with one another.”
It is no wonder that buying a restaurant is such a personal journey. That’s why I often say we don’t just sell businesses, we sell the American dream, one restaurant at a time.
When we operate from that mindset, it changes everything. Every deal is personal. Every owner matters. And every buyer has a story worth honoring.
Grounding a Company in Core Values
At We Sell Restaurants, our core values are not an afterthought or a motivational poster in the breakroom. They’re a daily part of our operations. We reference them in meetings. They’re printed on our walls. And they shape who we hire and who we franchise.
That said, we also believe in grace. We don’t expect ourselves, or others, to get it right 100% of the time. But we do expect alignment and accountability. Core values are our compass, especially when things get hard.
If we say we’ll return a call and we don’t, that’s a moment to reflect. If we speak to a customer without the empathy they deserve, that’s a moment to regroup. These small daily actions determine whether we’re truly living our values, or just listing them.
Staying Purpose-Driven in a Crisis: Lessons from 2020
When the pandemic hit in early 2020, we all faced a reckoning. The restaurant industry was one of the hardest hit. Overnight, doors were closed, dining rooms emptied, and owners were scrambling to survive.
We had to ask ourselves a critical question: What does it look like to lead with purpose when revenue stops?
We decided right away, we would not lead with sales. We took the word “sell” out of our conversations and replaced it with “serve.”
Our team educated ourselves on PPP loans, EIDL funding, and government relief programs. We published free checklists, negotiated leases on behalf of owners, hosted conversations on Clubhouse, and showed up in any way we could.
We did not charge for these services. We didn’t tie them to future commitments. We just gave, because it was the right thing to do.
Years later, those actions still resonate. A restaurant owner once told me, “Back when I didn’t know what to do, your team was out there helping the industry. That’s why I’m choosing you now.”
That’s what purpose-driven leadership looks like. It’s playing the long game. It’s investing in trust. And it pays dividends, financially and emotionally, when it matters most.
Franchise Growth with Intention, Not Speed
Franchising often gets a reputation for being overly focused on scale. But done right, franchising builds community wealth, fuels entrepreneurship, and creates generational opportunities.
We have taken a different path from many franchisors. Instead of chasing rapid growth, we’ve built slow and steady, on purpose. We average about ten new franchise partners per year. That is not because we can’t grow faster, but because we choose not to. We prioritize cultural fit, emotional intelligence, and alignment over resumes and investment size. That approach ensures our brand is represented with care, and every partner gets the support they need to succeed. That is manageable, sustainable growth that protects the integrity of our brand and ensures new partners get the support they need.
More importantly, we’ve turned down many potential candidates, some of them incredibly qualified, because they didn’t align with our culture. That’s not easy. But it is necessary.
Culture fit, values alignment, and emotional intelligence matter more to us than resumes or net worth. If you can’t meet a struggling restaurant owner with empathy and integrity, you can’t represent our brand.
The Power of Storytelling in Restaurant Brokerage
The restaurant industry is filled with untold stories. And we’re working to bring those to light.
We’re currently redesigning our website and listing pages to move away from just “earnings and square footage.” Instead, we’re introducing emotional narratives. Video stories. Background on the sellers. The “why” behind the listing. Buyers connect with stories. Sellers want to be remembered. And that connection builds better outcomes.
This isn’t about marketing fluff. It’s about honoring the real people behind the businesses. The couple who built their diner from scratch. The immigrant family making the leap from back-of-house worker to business owner. The college grad who found opportunity in food when their degree didn’t pan out.
Our buyers want to see themselves in the business they’re acquiring. Our sellers want to know their legacy matters. Storytelling bridges that gap.
Tech-Driven, Human-Led: Why Systems Don't Have to Be Cold
Yes, we’re technology-forward. We’ve developed our own proprietary software and integrated AI into many aspects of our business. But we’ve done it in a way that keeps the human touch.
We even name our AI tools. “Tess” handles technical excellence in sales and service. “Fred” manages franchise research and education. We’ve given them personalities, and our franchisees love it. Our weekly newsletter goes out in their voices, creating a fun, relatable connection point.
Technology can support empathy if you design it that way. It can enhance your values instead of replacing them.
Love Has a Place in Business
This may surprise some people, but I believe love absolutely belongs in business. Love is showing up with empathy. Love is holding someone accountable while still rooting for their success.
I’ve sent tough letters to franchisees who weren’t meeting performance standards. But I’ve also called and texted them before it hit their inbox with the words, “I’m sending a letter, but I want you to know, I care. Let’s talk.”
That’s not weakness. That’s conscious leadership. And it’s how we choose to lead at We Sell Restaurants.
Conscious Franchising Is Community-Centered
One of the biggest misconceptions about franchising is that it’s distant or corporate. But franchising is local business.
That Firehouse Subs or McDonald’s in your neighborhood? It’s owned by the parent of the kid on your child’s baseball team. Franchising creates wealth, jobs, mentorship, and leadership, all at the community level.
I’ve seen franchisees grow from three to six units. I’ve seen their children and spouses join the business. I’ve seen people they employed at age 15 return decades later to run their office.
This is community at work. This is what it looks like when business and purpose align.
Advice for Entrepreneurs: Lead With Who You Are
If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone building a business or growing a franchise, it would be this:
Know who you are. Stay grounded in it. And grow slow.
Fast growth can be tempting, especially when outside firms offer to “sell your system” or scale your concept quickly. But if you can’t support that growth, if your culture can’t hold it, it will hurt more than it helps.
Growing slowly has allowed us to stay connected, protect our values, and adapt with care. It’s the right pace for us, and it’s built a business I’m proud of.
Final Thoughts: Purpose and Profit Are Not Opposites
The conversation on Bliss Business Podcast reminded me that we’re not alone in this journey. There are leaders everywhere looking for a better way to do business, one that honors profit and purpose.
At We Sell Restaurants, we’ve chosen to lead with heart. That’s how we’ve grown. That’s how we’ve endured the hard times. And that’s how we’ll continue building a brand that matters.
If you’re in the restaurant industry, or want to be, and are looking for a partner that leads with integrity, we’d love to hear from you. Visit wesellrestaurants.com to learn more.