Arizona Feature Articles

In the world of ice cream retailing, many believe that mix-ins and premium ice cream originated in 1973 when Steve Herrell opened the now-legendary Steve’s in Somerville, Massachusetts. Today’s brands make those days seem almost quaint, like Henry Ford’s Model T in a world of 200-mph Ferraris.

"If you're not moving forward, you're standing still," goes the old business axiom. In franchising, expansion is one way of moving forward. Whether you're a start-up organization or a player who's been around a while, growth through new sites is an objective--and when it comes to successful site selection tactics and techniques, consider the following approaches.

Gina Mehr has experienced success; now she wants to be effective.

Whether it's high-fat super-premium gourmet ice cream with mix-in candy, fudge, or fruit, or just plain vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt, for most Americans it's not if or when, but how often they'll indulge in a sweet, tasty, frozen dessert or treat. In the U.S. today, ice cream is a $20 billion-plus industry, with 90 percent market penetration. The industry is mature, meaning any gains from one competitor (Haagen-Dazs vs. Carvel) or segment (super premium vs. light) will be scooped from another.

Irvine, CA-based El Pollo Loco has a penchant for serving hand-marinated, flame-grilled chicken and the freshest Mexican foods, and last year the company experienced record sales of $396 million. But executives there say that although their product is important, they owe much of their success to their loyal and dedicated employees. In fact, multi-unit operator Roland Spongberg recently went six years without losing a single manager at his 21 southern California El Pollo Loco locations. So what's going on at this company that's creating this environment of motivated, hard-working employees who stay the course?

Franchised businesses generate jobs for more than 18 million Americans and account for 9.5 percent of the private-sector economic output, a study released today by International Franchise Association Educational Foundation reported.