In this episode of Smart Franchising, Dan Rowe sits down with Chris Gannon, founder of Bolay Fresh Bold Kitchen and son of Outback Steakhouse co-founder Tim Gannon, to explore the critical question: should you franchise your restaurant concept?
With 22 locations across Florida, Bolay Fresh Bold Kitchen represents a "better for you" fast-casual concept focused on scratch-made, chef-driven bowls with craveable flavors. Chris shares invaluable lessons from his restaurant DNA—including working his way up from busser at Outback despite being the founder's son, his experience at PDQ, and the challenges of maintaining quality and consistency while scaling. The conversation dives deep into operational realities that prospective franchisees need to understand: the complexity of scratch cooking, the relentless focus required for training, the critical importance of site selection (with unique tips like consulting local police officers who truly know communities), and why "the best site you'll ever select is the one you say no to."
Chris reveals Bolay Fresh Bold Kitchen's growth strategy of seeking experienced multi-unit, multi-brand operators (MUMBOs) as franchise partners—not traditional QSR franchisees or first-timers—who understand that building top-line sales through hospitality and quality drives bottom-line success. He emphasizes that successful franchising requires treating partners like marriages, maintaining culture at scale, and resisting the temptation to cut food quality for margin optimization. Dan and Chris discuss industry challenges including skyrocketing build costs, the over-saturated restaurant market, the need to master off-premise channels, and why strong unit economics are non-negotiable in today's environment.
For anyone considering franchising—whether as a franchisor or franchisee—this conversation offers hard-earned wisdom on site selection, people selection, maintaining standards across multiple units, and the fundamental trade-offs between corporate growth versus franchise partnership models.
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