Franchise Interviews

We are meeting with Bob Johnston , CEO of The Melting Pot. Established in 1975, Melting Pot has offered a unique fondue dining experience for over 45 years. As the premier fondue restaurant franchise, Melting Pot has 94 restaurants in 31 U.S. states and Canada. Known for offering a variety of fondue cooking styles and unique entrées, Melting Pot’s menu also features cheese fondues, salads, fine wines, spirits, and chocolate fondue desserts. Fondue fans can join Melting Pot’s Club Fondue for exclusive promotions, special events, and advance holiday reservation privileges. Melting Pot is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Florida.  Every Business Has A Story Bob will discuss how America’s favorite fondue concept dominates the experimental dining industry with new innovations as it plans nationwide expansion into new markets. CEO is not the first title Johnston has held with the idea – Bob initially started as a dishwasher in high school when his two ol

Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast - Why franchising? A Great Quote In Franchising from Derek Henze, Franchise Business Owner to Topper's Pizza - In this podcast, Derek gives a great response on why franchising was a match for his goals and personality. Derek served in the US Army for eight years as a Field Artillery Specialist and Army Paralegal, serving one tour in Iraq from 2003-2004.

Hi everyone and welcome to a very special edition of Franchise Interviews, where for 17 years we have been asking the frantrepreneur who owns one.  I am your host Marty McDermott and I am the president of Franchise Interviews. We have a great show. Well it seems like yesterday, but it was 17 years ago today that we launched our podcast Franchise Interviews. I will speak like an older man, but our podcast was live-streamed on WorldTalkRadio in the old days. That meant anything could happen, and there was no room for error. Nevertheless, there were many mistakes. Most of them I laugh at today. Here is our very first show with a franchise called PBLoco. I was incredibly nervous. Don was calm and collected and brought a lot of knowledge and humor to the show. We will start off with a clip of an interview I did with Jaimie Jay of Stop Riding the Pine, which was one of my favorite podcasts. To date, Franchise Interviews has conducted over 800 interviews. Thanks everyone for your support and friendship.

We are meeting with Chris Medhurst, COO of District Taco,the premier authentic Mexican fast-casual restaurant, bringing the flavors of the Yucatán to the masses. The franchise has grown to 15 locations in and around Washington D.C. and Philadelphia metro areas. Their mission is to serve quality – Yucatán style – Mexican food that is fresh, simple and healthful, with a fully customizable menu that includes vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. At District Taco, food is made fresh daily from the highest quality ingredients. They strive to limit their impact on the environment by serving in environmentally friendly packaging where possible. Chris is help leading the charge for future growth with franchising and to increase more brand awareness throughout the East Coast. The brand originally stared in 2009 with Osiris Hoil and his neighbor, Marc Wallace and built on the American dream with only a taco truck. Hoil moved to the United States from Mexico in the hopes of becoming an entrepreneur. Today the bran

We are meeting with John Ramsay, VP of Franchise Sales for Noodles & Company. Since 1995, the mission at Noodles & Company has been to nourish and inspire every team member, guest, and community they serve. All these years later, these core values remain at the heart of everything they do. From their menu to their service to the way they do business, it's their fresh, unexpected, human perspective that sets them apart. They call this Uncommon Goodness. Noodles & Company franchise locations are essential pillars in their communities and give back to the community in the following ways: Mac & Cheese Trade-Up Events Noodles & Company hosts Mac & Cheese Trade-Up events where guests donate a box of Mac & Cheese and trade it in for a free bowl of Wisconsin Mac & Cheese. Noodles & Company donates the traded-in Mac & Cheese boxes to local food banks. School Fundraising Nights Noodles & Company locations host school fundraising nights throughout the year, where schools

Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast - Marty McDermott, the President of Franchise Interviews on WVOX, Go Brand Yourself - Go Brand Yourself - Marty and John talk about franchising and branding. BrandTalk uses brand management principles and the outstanding personality, professional expertise and salt?of?the earth wisdom of Dr. John Tantillo to provide entertainment, comfort and much needed guidance to entrepreneurs.

We are meeting with Dominic Rubino. Dom hosts two shows for the Construction and Contracting Industry (The ProfitToolbelt Podcast and The CabinetMakerProfitSystem Podcast) and is a frequent speaker at various Conferences and AGM's. Dominic has been both a franchisee and a franchisor. As the global Master Franchisor for a Professional Services firm, he took a failing 6-unit company up to 237 units before selling it. He bought his first student painting franchise at University - by accident! His second franchise was in Professional Services, which completely altered his life's course. He built another business from zero to over 120 million in sales using what he learned in that franchise. Dom is an actual business owner who uses real examples. He's been a Pro-Franchising Business Coach with O2E Brands, Golden Spoon, Senior Care, Professional Services, and Sports Clips. He's also been a "Zee" for Triple-A Student Painters, ActionCOACH, and the Global Master Franchisor at FocalPoint Business Coaching. With you

We are meeting with David Grossman, the President of Renue, The Deep Cleaning Experts. At Renue, they have deep-cleaned and disinfected thousands of properties across the United States and worldwide since their founding in 1991. Renue’s decades of experience and unmatched expertise have helped them become the leading provider of comprehensive deep cleaning services for hotels and resorts and other high-end commercial properties. There’s no one like Renue in the deep cleaning industry. In part two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast. 

Today’s Great Quote in Franchising comes from Charlie Graves, Chief Executive Officer of Athletic Republic, the pioneers in the sports training industry. Athletic Republic offers state-of-the-art training that unlocks the potential of any athlete, helping them perform at their best. Over the past 30 years, their science-based protocols and specialized equipment have helped more than two million athletes of all ages achieve their goals. The brand takes safety seriously and trains every athlete to perform at the highest level. Charlie describes his secret to franchising, business, and life.

We are meeting with Franchise Coach Scott Milas. After 35+ years of experience, Scott has contributed significantly to various senior leadership positions. Scott is a team player and recently utilized his expertise in development to help build a well-known national fast-casual concept. His tenure in franchising has landed him on leadership panels at several franchise conferences. Scott has also earned his certification as a CFE, Certified Franchise Executive. Every Entrepreneur Has A Story – Scott has been an entrepreneur since his teen years when he started small businesses mowing lawns, raking leaves, and shoveling snow. In his early twenties, he began a career with a major news organization as a cameraman for the White House Press Corp. Several years later, Scott could not ignore the calling of his entrepreneurial spirit and left the news industry to pursue a business career. Scott’s significant strengths include his listening skills, where he can tune in to his clients’ needs and balance that with t

Another Type of Cash Today's Great Quote in Franchising comes from franchise veteran Joe Mathews. Joe is the author of the popular "Street Smart Franchising." Joe suggests it's often been said that cash is king. However, money alone doesn't move mountains; people do…people with another kind of KASH: Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, and Habits. Franchisees must generate KASH before they generate cash. KASH always comes first.

HTeaO offers 26 handcrafted flavors of ultra-premium caffeinated and decaffeinated tea varieties, in both sweet and unsweet options, at each location and its own proprietary water filtration system for the same consistent flavor no matter the location. The menu also features hot and cold tea and coffee drinks, such as the Texas Chai Tea Latte, Iced Horchata coffee, and other coffee favorites. We are meeting with Justin Howe, CEO of HTeaO.  Having officially launched the brand in 2018, HTeaO has seen a two-year revenue growth of 240% and just announced the inclusion of its first-ever ITEM 19 in its 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), showcasing an AUV of $1,352,540.98 (per 2023 FDD). HTeaO's recent success and growth highlights include: HTeaO has continued its substantial expansion in 2023 and will have 95 locations open by year-end. The brand has an impressively strong growth pipeline with over 100 sites under construction and hundreds of additional candidates applying to join the ever-growing HTeaO

One of the shows I strongly recommend listening to if you are an aspiring entrepreneur is Stop Riding the Pine (http://www.StopRidingThePine.com). The show is hosted by the popular Jaime Jay. Jaime is an amazing interviewer and speaks with entrepreneur.

Famous Toastery is a breakfast, brunch, and lunch franchise that encourages its guests, team, and franchise owners to “Be Famous” in their local community by offering “Famously Fresh” meals and a much-needed hub for friends, families, and neighbors to get together in a comfortable atmosphere where “every server is your server.” The brand began in 2005 before evolving into a franchise system in 2013 and growing to over 25 locations today. In 2020 and 2019, Famous Toastery was placed on Restaurant Business’ The Future 50, featuring the fastest-growing small chains. Famous Toastery was ranked No. 9 in the Full-Service Restaurants category of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Food Franchises of 2019 and on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 Rankings in 2019 and 2022. In 2018, Famous Toastery received recognition by CNBC as a top franchise to buy, FSR Magazine as one of the Top 14 restaurant chains ready for lift-off, Inc. 5000’s list of the fastest growing companies, and Franchise Times’ Top 200+ franchise opportuni

Not long ago, we had a Great Quote in Franchising Podcast called "Date A Little". The podcast suggested the importance of getting to know you mate. Another element that is equally important is getting to know the parents and family members.

We are meeting with Sean Oatney, Vice President of Franchise Development Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise. Built on a legacy of cutting-edge design and operations, Tommy's Express Car Wash leads the way in Equipment, Facilities, and Operations. Their products will support you every step of the way, from the smallest fitting to a comprehensive franchise solution. Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise is listed in Franchise Times as one of the Smartest Growing Franchises in the US. Best in their category and now the fastest growing.   Every Business Has A Story Alex Lemmen, CEO of Tommy's Express, holds up a grainy photo to prove he started early in the business founded by the Essenburg family of Holland, Michigan. "IT'S A BOY," says the sign outside the Quality Car Wash managed by his father in 1990, when gas was $1.31 a gallon. "That's me!" Lemmen said. But Tommy's goes back much further, to 1969, when brothers Jun and Sonny Essenburg opened their first Quality Car Wash. "They were partners in life, did ev

Today's Great Quote in Franchising comes from Nick Friedman, of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving franchise opportunity. College Hunks Hauling Junk is the fastest-growing junk hauling and moving franchise in America. Nick discusses the 5 Fs of franchising.

One of the shows I strongly recommend listening to if you are an aspiring entrepreneur is Stop Riding the Pine (http://www.StopRidingThePine.com). The show is hosted by the popular Jaime Jay. Jaime is an amazing interviewer and speaks with entrepreneur.

We are meeting with Adam Povlitz, the CEO and President of Anago Cleaning Systems, an internationally franchised commercial cleaning brand with over 30 years of experience. Whether you're a hotel looking for quality common area cleaning or a medical facility needing trustworthy commercial janitorial services, Anago the right choice for your commercial cleaning solutions. What sets Anago apart is their unique 3-tiered business format model, which offers master franchisees expansive territories, seven consistent revenue streams, and the opportunity to offer small business ownership to others. In part two, we play a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast. 

Today's Great Quote in Franchising comes from Joseph Berger - President of You've Got Maids, Joseph has a unique perspective on the franchise industry as the residential cleaning concept was founded by his parents, Frank and Cynthia Berger.