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Name: Sam Chand
Title: CEO
Company: Jasam Enterprises
No. of units: 25 Checkers & Rally’s, 35 KFC
Age: 55
Family: Wife Dipti, son Kevin, 27, and daughter Dipali, 24
Years in franchising: 27
Years in current position: 27
Sam Chand is the 2025 Multi-Brand Leadership MVP (Most Valuable Performer) for achieving brand leadership with multiple brands.
Nearly 40 years before building a portfolio of 60 fast food restaurants that generate more than $75 million in annual sales, Sam Chand experienced an unsettling introduction to the U.S.
Political unrest in his home state of Punjab in India forced Chand’s family to relocate to New York City in 1986 to start a new life that they believed would be filled with opportunity. At first, the teenager struggled to adapt to his new home while figuring out driving directions as a delivery boy for his uncle’s deli.
“It was scary. We had this idealized vision of America from what we saw on television,” Chand says. “But there was graffiti everywhere, and people were playing loud music on their boom boxes. It wasn’t what I expected, and it was an adjustment.”
Chand found his bearings and gained a decade of invaluable experience in the foodservice industry before purchasing his own deli. After several years of ownership, he made what he says was his best business decision by opening a Taco Bell Express within his deli. The arrangement was a tremendous success as the Taco Bell Express had higher sales than two nearby standalone locations while also increasing business for the deli.
Officials with Yum! Brands took notice and approached Chand about franchise ownership, selling him 26 KFC restaurants in 2011. He became a franchisee with Checkers & Rally’s in 2015 and currently owns a total of 60 restaurants for the two brands across New York and Michigan. Chand is also the head of a private equity firm and has combined his financial expertise with operational efficiency to streamline processes at Checkers & Rally’s double drive-thru locations.
As a multi-brand franchisee, Chand prioritizes employee retention and creating a strong workplace culture. He hires people with long-term goals, fostering their development and creating lasting relationships.
“It’s more important to me that someone has stuck with one or two jobs and spent extensive time with a company rather than having a long list of short-term jobs,” Chand says. “I’d rather hire someone with less experience but a long-term desire to grow with the company and its vision. I can’t recall a time when we’ve had to fire someone who grew from within the organization.”
Why do you think you were recognized with this award? Consistently delivering strong performance across multiple units or brands and meeting or exceeding financial and operational goals. Prioritizing customer satisfaction and ensuring high service standards across all locations. Being able to adapt to market changes, identify new opportunities, and apply innovative strategies to maintain or grow brand presence.
How have you raised the bar in your own company? I’ve raised the bar by consistently setting high performance standards, creating a nurturing environment for employees, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and leveraging innovation to drive results.
What innovations have you created and used to build your company? I’ve implemented data-driven decision-making and streamlined operational processes across all units to enhance efficiency. Additionally, I embraced technology integration to improve customer experience and boost brand loyalty. An example of this is our automated drive-thru service at Checkers & Rally’s that greets customers and increases efficiency. Employee retention is critical as experienced employees increase efficiency, reduce training costs, and create a stable work environment for everyone.
What core values do you think helped you win this award? I believe my focus on leadership and accountability helped me win the award. By fostering a strong team culture and consistently driving performance across multiple brands, I have ensured sustainable success.
How important is community involvement to you and your company? It is very important to us. Many of our KFC locations regularly donate food to local churches, soup kitchens, and food banks. The KFC Foundation offers educational, financial, and food donation programs, and we encourage our teams to contribute to those as well.
What leadership qualities are important to you and your team? The ability to make decisions as an owner with a focus on responsibility and accountability and the ability to relate to the employees and engage them in the process.
First job: My first job was as a delivery boy for a deli in New York when I was 16.
Formative influences/events: I worked at my uncle’s deli learned about the importance of taking care of customers. That is something that still resonates with me today.
Key accomplishments: I always worked as if my uncle’s deli were my own store. This mindset allowed me to take on tasks outside my job description and go above and beyond for the store. This ultimately allowed me to transition from one deli to multi-location and multi-concept restaurants.
Biggest current challenge: The biggest challenges I face are labor costs in New York and the increases in food costs everywhere.
Next big goal: My next big goal is to pass the baton to my children so that they can continue to excel in the business.
First turning point in your career: In 1995, I had the urge to open my own restaurant, specifically a deli in New York. I began searching for delis for sale and looked at 148 different options over nine months. Eventually, I narrowed it down to one on 22 East 49th St.
Best business decision: One of the best business decisions I made was in 2003 when I had the opportunity to open a Taco Bell Express within my existing deli. We were able to increase sales both for the deli and online. Taco Bell did more business than the two standalone locations nearby that were eventually closed.
Hardest lesson learned: Keep business and friendship separate.
Work week: I work about 70 hours a week.
Exercise/workout: I play badminton two to three times a week and meditate every day for about an hour.
Best advice you ever got: My late mother always told me to try my best to achieve a perfect 100% score, not just a 97% because 97% was not good enough.
What’s your passion in business? My passion in business is making deals and continuing to develop people to their full potential.
How do you balance life and work? Work-life balance is a work in progress for me. At this age, I am trying not to bring work home with me, but I believe it’s important to lead by example and show my children the value of both hard work and taking time for personal life. Finding that balance is something I’m still working on every day. My daughter, at a young age, always asked why I go to work on the weekends, and from there, I realized I needed to prioritize “me time.”
Guilty pleasure: A good, old-fashioned drink with friends.
Favorite book: Taking People with You by David Novak.
Favorite movie: “Dumb and Dumber.”
What do most people not know about you? I will go above and beyond to help someone. I love to help people grow, whether they work for me or not. Even if you were a competitor, I would give you good advice.
Pet peeve: If someone is late. I am pretty punctual.
What did you want to be when you grew up? To have a job that lets me help those who are less fortunate.
Last vacation: I spent four weeks in India in February. I traveled to the Maha Kumbh, a spiritual festival that is widely considered the largest gathering of humanity.
Person you’d most like to have lunch with: Warren Buffett and other leaders I can learn from.
Business philosophy: I believe in rewarding people for their performance, honestly sharing company goals and financials for complete transparency with all leaders and store managers, and distributing parts of the increased profits after the cost of goods and labor to all management staff. At the same time, I expect responsibility and accountability from everyone.
Management method or style: My management style focuses on taking care of people and finding the right candidates for the long haul for their growth and ours. I trust people, but there is always verification, accountability, and responsibility involved.
Greatest challenge: Getting old. I feel like the peak years of my career are limited, and I want to take advantage of that time while I can.
How do others describe you? I would like to think of myself as a leader with a heart. But to know how others describe me, you’d have to ask them. I always try to do my best for my people.
Have you ever been in a mentor-mentee relationship? What did you learn? I haven’t had a singular mentor-mentee relationship. There have been many people who have mentored me, and I would feel it would be unfair to name just one. Everything I know is a result of the contributions of family, friends, and leaders in the industry.
One thing you’re looking to do better: Spending more time playing badminton and meditating.
How you give your team room to innovate and experiment: I give my team the freedom to experiment and make decisions on their own. I believe there is a lot to learn from them if we allow them the independence to think and take on tasks as if they were the boss. This is especially true when you provide an opportunity for them to share in the increased profits.
How close are you to operations? I am very close to operations. To me, the relationship is similar to that of a doctor and their patient. I keep a close watch on the daily operations (i.e., food costs, labor, and comps).
What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? Purchasing power and marketing.
What you need from vendors: I need vendors to ensure the availability of products and services on call and to deliver on time.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? As a franchisee, we depend heavily on our franchisor. However, for certain underperforming units, we look for opportunities to spend locally on marketing and execute aggressive promotions to boost sales.
How is social media affecting your business? Social media is taking over the market by storm. Although I was initially hesitant about it, I’ve come to realize that it’s essential for reaching today’s audience. To succeed in this space, we need sufficient marketing funds and experts who understand the business. It’s crucial to learn about the return on investment for these efforts.
How are you using technology, like AI, to manage your business? We’ve implemented an auto-order system in 25 of our stores, and it’s still a work in progress. I look forward to seeing how technology and AI can continue to improve the customer experience in various ways.
How do you hire and fire? When hiring, I look for candidates who have held positions for a long time and have shown stability, not those who have jumped from job to job just to gain experience. Firing isn’t something I take lightly. I prefer for people to grow with us. However, when it comes to upper management, if something serious occurs that I cannot overlook, we have to make the difficult decision to part ways. I would estimate it’s only been necessary twice, and both of those cases involved leaders acquired through acquisitions.
How do you train and retain? Most of my employees have been with me for many years, and some for more than 23 years. I provide opportunities for growth and take care of my people. Even if they decide to leave, we never part on bad terms and always keep the door open for their return.
How do you deal with problem employees? I give employees multiple opportunities to improve, and I listen to their concerns. However, if an employee is toxic, they must be reprimanded immediately.
Fastest way into your doghouse: People who disrespect our customers.
Annual revenue: More than $75 million.
2025 goals: Reaching more than $100 million in annual revenue.
Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? I measure my growth by the success of my people. I want to see them grow professionally and be happy. If I lose talented people, I know I’m not doing something right. The longevity of my talented people shows their success and my overall growth.
Vision meter: Where do you want to be in five years? Ten years? I’d like my children to decide how far they want to take my small enterprises. Stay tuned.
Do you have brands in different segments? Why/why not? We focus on fried chicken and burgers. We prefer to stick with tier-one brands because of the advantages in marketing funds and purchasing power.
How is the economy in your region(s) affecting you, your employees, your customers? There are challenges in many pockets across all states. We plan to get more aggressive with marketing and challenge our people to be the best on the block.
Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? We are in four different markets, so it varies. In some markets, we face more competition and that impacts growth.
How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? While we can’t control the economy as a whole, we make the most of the hand we’re dealt. There are different labor costs in different markets. We make sure we hire the right people for the long haul. Keeping employees happy is part of our long-term success.
How do you forecast for your business? I start with last year’s figures, add inflation, and adjust for surrounding market conditions.
What are the best sources for capital expansion? We focus on self-growth within our means. We take a traditional approach to growth, using little to moderate debt to avoid the inevitable up-and-down cycles that any business faces.
Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? I have many relationships with institutions that are ready to lend. However, we haven’t yet found a compelling opportunity where we need to utilize those relationships. When the right opportunity presents itself and our team is ready, we’ll act.
What are you doing to take care of your employees? We pay for performance and focus on educating and motivating them to excel, helping them move to the next level in their careers.
How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? Rising costs need to be managed carefully, using a combination of price increases and technology to increase efficiency.
What laws and regulations are affecting your business, and how are you dealing with them? Minimum wage, managing sick days, and advanced scheduling: We follow the rules and try to educate lawmakers to ensure that unnecessary or unreasonable regulations aren’t enacted.
How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? Through bonuses, advancement opportunities, and potentially ownership stakes.
What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? I’m teaching my kids the trade, but ultimately, I want them to decide their own paths.