Robin Gagnon

This year will mark the twentieth anniversary of the We Sell Restaurants brand. What started as a single man operation operated from our home has grown to 45 states nationwide and delivers on the promise to Sell More Restaurants Than Anyone Else.

The early vision to sell only restaurants was something other brokers viewed as limiting rather than as a blueprint for success. Two decades later, the International Business Brokers Association, the non-profit association for people and firms engaged in business brokerage actively encourages brokers to become specialists in a niche, something unimaginable when We Sell Restaurants started.

The early vision for the brand expanded to include five core values for the franchise. Today, based on 2023 BizBuySell transaction data, We Sell Restaurants has met the promise to sell more restaurant than anyone else and now participates in more than one out of every five restaurants transacted in America.

Brands as mature as We Sell Restaurants often have hundreds of units while we are quite comfortable at the 50-unit mark. Why? We have advocated for responsible franchising from the early days of our brand. It’s a term that franchise candidates will hear a lot about in 2024 but for We Sell Restaurants, it’s been a part of our practice for twenty years.

What is responsible growth? It starts by making sure you know and understand what you are training others to do better than anyone else. While some brands warm up to franchising by launching one or two corporate locations, we cut our teeth by closing thousands of transactions.

That makes us a better franchisor. Our corporate staff knows how to relate to the issues our franchisees are having. We know how to solve for the thorny issues that keep deals from closing. We developed our own exclusive software platform for restaurant brokerage leading to fewer administrative tasks for our brokers so their valuable time could be spent with the buyer or seller.

We have developed resources and knowledge bases over two decades that are unrivalled for selling restaurants. For us, responsible growth meant growing slower but stronger in our knowledge, understanding and ability to train, before we started selling it to others. That gave us time to test our training against actual results and refine it for the future.

Another reason We Sell Restaurants has focused on responsible growth is that we are often the “cleanup crew” for brands that haven’t made that same choice. We handle resales for many restaurant brands who have the wrong partner on board. brought in the wrong candidates. Sometimes they were undercapitalized, inexperienced or just a bad cultural fit. In witnessing those mistakes, we decided to be a brand that chose quality over quantity. Our franchisees attend training and sometimes ask, “Whatever happened to that guy who sat beside me at Discovery Day?” only to learn he or she was not invited to move forward with the brand.

Responsible growth leads to credibility in the marketplace and that is where We Sell Restaurants shines versus competitors. No one else can point to the experience and knowledge gained from selling as many restaurants as this brand.

As a franchisor, We Sell Restaurants has avoided the path of broker sales. While many brands responsibly use external brokers to drive sales and lead to quick results, it can sometimes lead to unintended consequences, including a lot of units “sold but not open.” Adding units too quickly may also hinder the brand’s ability to scale resources, including training and support. That’s why we have avoided fast growth in favor of a slow and steady trajectory.

Responsible franchising also means that owners invest first in the business before asking others to do so. While franchising allows an owner to scale using the investment of others, those who are responsible in their growth pay up front to develop the concept and test it thoroughly before it goes onto the market.

Responsible franchising leads to franchisee satisfaction, something that We Sell Restaurants uses an external firm to measure. Franchise Business Review found that based on our franchisee’s responses, We Sell Restaurants was in the top 25 of all brands nationwide for franchisee satisfaction. Our franchisees are happy with their decision and say things like Scott Ruby of Minnesota who remarks, “My favorite part is being able to do what you love but still have a good quality of life" or Mel Ferioli of Clermont Florida who says, “They give all the tools, all the resources – it’s a win-win situation.”

Lastly, responsible franchising means you must reinvest in the practice. Beyond the point of royalty self-sufficiency, there must be additional investment back into the brand. We Sell Restaurants invested in a massive technology upgrade in 2023 to benefit our franchisees now and into the future. This state-of-the-art, proprietary software system represents the pinnacle of innovation in restaurant brokerage. Tailored to optimize every facet of the broker, buyer, and seller journey, BOSS revolutionizes the way business brokerage operates – from marketing strategies to lead delivery and engagement

Growth will continue at a responsible rate for the We Sell Restaurants brand fueled by multiple factors. Our expertise in this niche market is increasingly in demand, as restaurants make up over 28% of all franchise locations, with the total number of independent and franchised restaurant units surpassing 750,000 nationwide. The restaurant brokerage industry is experiencing a significant surge, driven by a demographic shift known as the "Silver Tsunami". As Baby Boomers retire at a rate of 10,000 per day until 2030, there's an increasing number of restaurant owners looking to exit the business. This trend is creating a wealth of opportunities for brokerage in the restaurant sector.

The number of units added each year will continue to be a selective process with only the candidates that fit into the overall culture of the brand awarded a franchise in keeping with our responsible approach to franchising.

Overall, responsible franchising means making tough decisions, consistent with a set of core values that are mission based. When a franchise adheres to these practices, growth may be slower, but it is infinitely more responsible to the clients and franchisees we serve.