"Dan Rowe, president of the
Alexandria, Virginia-based franchise development company Fransmart and Vapiano's
corporate owner, says the increasing affordability of real estate makes expansion
opportunities for good operators too good to pass up."
"'Right now the
focus is on landlords and conversions of failed restaurants, where there are plenty
of great deals out there to offset the cost of capital,' declares the co-founder
and CEO of Fransmart, an Alexandria, Va.-based franchise development company with
a portfolio of 13 restaurant brands."
"Dan Rowe, the founder and CEO
of Fransmart, an Alexandria, Virginia-based developer of startup franchised restaurant
chains, says he now spends nearly all of his time scouting for so-called Class A
locations - end-caps in suburban strip malls and highly desirable sites on busy
city streets - for his clients. 'In this market, it's a perfect time to be a tenant,
even a small tenant,' says Rowe. 'We haven't had pickings like this in ten plus
years.'"
"Dan Rowe, chief
executive of Fransmart, says that two of his company's clients, zpizza and Sandella's
Flatbreads, both in which Fransmart has an equity stake, have announced major franchise
deals in the Middle East…Rowe expects more such deals to develop among middle- to
lower-tier restaurant franchisors not so much because of the weak domestic economy,
which he notes can't last forever, but because the rewards of overseas franchising
are more enticing and can offer important lessons when the time comes to develop
the domestic market."
"Your concept is hot,
your margins are great and you are ready to grow- but should it be through franchising?
Here's advice on figuring the fit" Dan Rowe, president and CEO of Fransmart, had
a feature article published in the June 2004 edition of Restaurant Hospitality Magazine.
In his article, Mr. Rowe pinpoints six factors that should be evaluated before you
franchise a restaurant.
"As real estate costs
continue to skyrocket, it has never been more critical to pick the right locations
in order to build a sustainable chain. If your franchise system wants happy franchisees,
then make sure they are successful. Start by focusing on their real estate because
great real estate maximizes the sales of franchisees' businesses."