A New Adventure: Multi-unit Franchisee Leaves Corporate Life

Name: Keith Johnson III
Title: COO/Franchisee
Company: Amazing Food Concepts
No. of units: 20 Qdoba Mexican Eats, 15 Captain D's, 1 Epic Wings
Age: 56
Family: Wife and 3 children
Years in franchising: 1
Years in current position: 1

Although Keith Johnson III has only been a restaurant franchisee for about a year, his four decades of experience in the industry and previous experience with franchise ownership prepared him for this moment. He finally combined the two interests and has big plans for the future.

Johnson was first exposed to the industry as a dishwasher when he was a teenager. He worked at various restaurants in the Seattle area while in college. Those early experiences sparked an interest in the restaurant business and started him on a career path that would take him to several different brands and areas around the country.

"I discovered I really enjoyed connecting my love of food with others," Johnson says. "I found working in restaurants could shape your own destiny and put you in a position to provide opportunities for others. In the early days, I also realized I would never go hungry working in a restaurant because I would get at least one meal a day."

After graduating from college with a degree in finance and liberal arts, Johnson started as an assistant manager at Jack in the Box. He worked his way up the corporate ladder and spent 10 years there over two separate stretches. During his second tenure with the company, Jack in the Box purchased Qdoba Mexican Eats, and Johnson spent 18 years with the Mexican fast-casual brand.

During his corporate career, Johnson and his wife were franchisees with Coverall Cleaning Services for about five years. He enjoyed the experience but knew he would be a better fit with restaurants.

"I always had an entrepreneurial spirit, but I was more interested in franchising in my area of interest and expertise with restaurants," he says. "It was about pairing up with the right people and having the proper support. I wanted a larger number of stores and to be able to scale. All the pieces I wanted took years to come together.

When Johnson was regional vice president for operations with Qdoba in 2021, he met Kevin Davis, an experienced restaurant development entrepreneur. The two partnered together and purchased 20 Qdoba stores in 2023.

"We have a great relationship," Johnson says about Davis. "The key is teaming up with someone who has the same vision. I am in a master class with someone I can learn from, especially on the development side. It really is a collaborative effort and shared ideology on what we are building."

Earlier this year, the partners signed a 20-store development agreement with Qdoba and a 26-store agreement with Captain D's, the brand's largest deal. Johnson and Davis hope to operate more than 1,000 units in the next 10 years.

Personal

First job: I started young as a grocery store courtesy clerk at 14 followed by a stint as a dishwasher in a full-service restaurant at age 15. These roles taught me the value of hard work and the basics of the food service industry.

Formative influences/events: Growing up in a large family with 11 siblings, I quickly learned the importance of carving out my own path. As the third oldest, I realized early on that nothing would be handed to me. I had to make things happen through resilience and by setting an example for my younger siblings.

Key accomplishments: Meeting my wife the same summer I started in the restaurant business 41 years ago and raising three amazing children together stand out as my greatest personal achievements.

Biggest current challenge: Leading a rapidly growing multi-brand restaurant organization. The challenge lies in managing expansion through new brand additions, development projects, and remodels while strategically steering the business toward sustained growth by recruiting and developing amazing people.

Next big goal: Kick-starting the development of our new store locations and seeing them come to life. We are currently in a 20-store development agreement with Qdoba and a 26-store agreement with Captain D's.

First turning point in your career: My promotion to general manager at Jack in the Box was a significant milestone, marking the beginning of my journey in leadership within the restaurant industry.

Best business decision: Choosing to start my career in the food service industry with Jack in the Box was pivotal. It set the foundation for everything that followed.

Hardest lesson learned: Never shortcut someone's training. Whether you take someone out midway through training or one day short, it can create an assumption from the trainee that they did not get enough support. It may also give a lack of self-confidence that they think they missed something. I got to a point where I said that will never happen again. If the training program is eight weeks, it will be eight weeks, and if it is 12 weeks, it will be 12 weeks. We want to make sure people are confident in what they are doing.

Work week: Long. After all, it's the restaurant industry. As long as the business is open, there's work to be done. Within the industry, there's a constant drive to keep things moving forward.

Exercise/workout: Typically, five to six times a week with weight training and low-impact cardio.

Best advice you ever got: Set goals and continuously develop yourself to be the best version you can be. Strive to improve every day. You can do anything someone else has done and greater if you choose.

What's your passion in business? Having a positive impact on your internal team members, so they can have a positive impact on your guests.

How do you balance life and work? Stay in the moment. When I'm at work, I focus on work. When I'm with my family, I'm fully present.

Guilty pleasure: A chocolate croissant.

Favorite book: The Bible and Developing the Leader Within by John C. Maxwell.

Favorite movie: Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity War."

What do most people not know about you? I created and performed a 30-minute magic show as a teen.

Pet peeve: Not caring for your people and making the job harder than it needs to be.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A pediatrician--it goes back to my experience growing up in a large family when there was no shortage of trips to the hospital. I always admired the problem-solving associated with that career.

Last vacation: Maui in August.

Person you'd most like to have lunch with: My grandfather.

Management

Business philosophy: Create an environment where winners can crush it. Become an expert at the systems and processes that drive the business.

Management method or style: Servant leader. I believe in leading by serving others and empowering my team to succeed.

Greatest challenge: Always being ready to deal with the unknown event. I find that to be especially true in the restaurant industry. You start each day hoping everything will run as smoothly as possible but knowing something will probably come up to change that plan. You need to constantly prepare to be ready for anything that comes up.

How do others describe you? A coach. Someone who guides and supports others to reach their full potential.

Have you ever been in a mentor-mentee relationship? What did you learn? Yes. As a mentee, I learned the importance of setting personal and career goals and the value of being proactive in addressing challenges quickly. As a mentor, I've learned how to help others overcome personal mindset barriers so that they can find success on their journeys.

One thing you're looking to do better: I want to be a strong advocate for the financial and career success that the restaurant industry can offer. It's a great field with endless growth opportunities.

How you give your team room to innovate and experiment: By creating a space for open dialogue and group brainstorming, I trust my team to try new things and learn from the experience.

How close are you to operations? Very close. Some of the best ideas come from being inside the four walls, directly interacting with the day-to-day operations.

What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? Training that supports the systems and procedures we use and ongoing brand innovation and evolution to ensure future success.

What you need from vendors: A solid partnership and open communication.

Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? Yes. We've shifted our focus to ensure flawless execution within the four walls

from shift to shift and order to order. By delivering excellent food in a clean restaurant with exceptional service, we aim to create an amazing guest experience that will create raving fans.

How is social media affecting your business? Social media drives awareness, promotes LTOs, and adds a fun element through short videos on TikTok and Instagram.

How do you hire and fire? We use resources, like Indeed and referrals, coupled with progressive conversations to determine whether someone is the right cultural fit. If it's clear they're not, we make necessary decisions, often involving district managers in the process.

How do you train and retain? We utilize the brand's tools for onboarding and training systems while also offering hands-on, shoulder-to-shoulder training. Retention is supported through ongoing development sessions in groups and one-on-one with regular check-ins to keep our team engaged and growing.

How do you deal with problem employees? Through clear communication, setting expectations, and consistent follow-up.

Fastest way into your doghouse: By mistreating people.

Bottom Line

Annual revenue: $48 million.

2024/2025 goals: Opening new restaurants for each brand and completing remodels.

Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? Year-over-year growth in same-store sales and transactions. We would like to beat our budget goals.

Vision meter: Where do you want to be in five years? 10 years? In the next 10 years, we would like to operate more than 1,000 units through development and acquisition.

Do you have brands in different segments? Why/why not? Yes. Although it is all within the restaurant industry, I believe it's important to diversify across segments that you enjoy. Currently, we are involved in fast-casual Mexican with Qdoba, seafood with Captain D's, and chicken with Epic Wings.

How is the economy in your region(s) affecting you, your employees, your customers? Minimum wage increases are affecting our P&L, but we're managing these challenges.

Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? From a macroeconomic standpoint, the markets that we operate in are rather neutral.

How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? We closely monitor our cash flow and are sensitive to pricing impacts, ensuring we manage our financial health effectively during economic fluctuations.

How do you forecast for your business? By analyzing market trends and historical data, we make informed predictions and decisions.

What are the best sources for capital expansion? Regional banks and lenders have been our go-to sources for expansion capital.

Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? We work with regional banks. We haven't engaged with private equity.

What are you doing to take care of your employees? We're expanding our benefits beyond the basics, focusing on creating a favorable work environment for our employees.

How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? Improving retention is key. We want to ensure our culture is one that people want to stay in, and we're continuously exploring new benefits to offer our team.

What laws and regulations are affecting your business, and how are you dealing with them? Mandatory minimum wage increases are a significant factor. We're managing this by focusing on retention, smart pricing strategies, and transaction growth.

How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? Through bonuses and incentives that celebrate hard work and contributions.

What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? To be determined. I am new to franchise ownership and just starting the process, so I'm not sure when I want to leave. I've been fortunate enough to be in a career I enjoy immensely, and I'm having fun enjoying the journey.