by UFG | Jul 1, 2024 | News
Graze Craze is now open in Frisco.
The store offers charcuterie boards featuring a mix of cheese, meat, vegetables and fruit. Graze Craze also offers a smaller board designed to be a small meal for one person and char-cuter-cups, which is a small charcuterie meant to fit inside of a cupholder. Vegetarian keto options are also available.
“We’re thrilled to bring this unique concept to Frisco, a growing area with a high concentration of businesses and homes, where Graze Craze will offer something new to the community,” co-owner Amy Hall said in a news release. “We’re passionate about helping others, and we can’t wait to use our charcuterie boards to help friends, neighbors and charitable groups with their events and catering needs.”
by UFG | Jul 1, 2024 | News
To celebrate the special day, members of the local community, town officials and representatives from the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce gathered.
Graze Craze Fountain Hills recently commemorated their grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony in collaboration with the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce. Graze Craze Fountain Hills, operated by local franchise owners RuthAnn and Jeff James, specializes in artfully designed, hand-crafted charcuterie boards with customizable food displays that are perfect for grazing — including fruits, vegetables, cheese, gourmet sweets, house-made jams, dips and more.
To celebrate the special day, members of the local community, town officials and representatives from the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce gathered to officially welcome the new charcuterie business into the area.
by UFG | Jun 28, 2024 | News
Name: Tyler Evans
Title: Co-owner
Brands: Venture X and Office Evolution
Units: 7 (Six Venture X, one Office Evolution)
Years in franchising: 13
Why did you choose to franchise with a service brand?
I chose a service brand because serving is my passion. Products come and go, but people stay. I enjoy meeting the needs of our great customers and members. Finding a brand that shared that same passion in caring for their franchisees was the first step of my journey.
How did you choose the sector and brand you did?
After researching and considering brands and industries of all kinds, we specifically chose Venture X because of its affiliation with United Franchise Group (UFG) and because it offered real value to businesses of all sizes in our local communities. We needed a franchisor that understood the daily needs of its franchise owners. UFG certainly ticked that box and proved that franchise owners and their success was its number-one priority. Added to that, Venture X provided space, amenities, and services to businesses just like ours in our local communities. It was a win/win.
What different skill sets are required for service brand franchising?
Flexibility is key. By flexibility I don’t mean that you try to be everything to everyone! Do what you do best, but you must be able to adapt., Markets, needs, budgets, availability, and cultures all change, and if you can’t flex and adapt then you will be obsolete. Also, services are meant for people and there are relationships involved that must be built. That skill is hard to teach and learn, so I would say that you must possess that skill to be truly successful.
What are the advantages to choosing a service brand?
Service brands just make sense. All businesses need services, and those services usually require providers that do them well. It provides an opportunity to set yourself and your business apart from others by the quality of the service you provide and the reputation you build. It is unique in that it cannot be cloned like a product can be. This fact can be your biggest advantage or your biggest weakness.
How does having a service brand complement your other brands (if any)?
We have two different brands that offer a “hub and spoke” model for flexible office space and co-working. Venture X serves as our premium brand with higher level build-out costs and more amenities. This model also has large team suites for 20+ employees. Office Evolution is built for smaller businesses with its largest offices accommodating 5-8 employees. These locations are typically about half the size of the Venture X footprint and serve as a great landing point for smaller businesses and budgets.
Venture X and Office Evolution are sister brands within Vast Coworking Group, a UFG-affiliated company, and complement each other by serving different business sizes and needs while offering hospitality-infused shared workspace and services.
What would you recommend to anyone considering a service brand?
My first recommendation is to get to know the service you are looking to provide intimately. While franchises are very helpful and easier to start/run by their very nature, it does still require knowledge, passion, and skills to be successful. Secondly, behind every service is the customer. Consider what customer base you want to serve and ensure that it fits your skills and passions. The last point is personal for me, and that is to ensure your service has purpose. Does it serve the greater good? Does it add value to the community you will serve? If those things matter, then definitely give them thought before diving in.
by UFG | Jun 20, 2024 | News
The restaurant is the second Atlanta-area location of the fast-casual brand of Mediterranean cuisine.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is now open in Roswell, the brand’s second location in the Atlanta area.
The restaurant is located at 2000 Holcomb Bridge Road. The eatery is operated by Nimai Patel, a member of the local team who first established the brand’s presence in Atlanta last year.
The menu reinterprets Mediterranean favorites, featuring gyros; lamb, steak and chicken souvlaki plates; and fresh salads and bowls. Four signature housemade dips are available, including hummus, tzatziki, melitzanosalata (eggplant dip) and tirokafteri (spicy roasted red pepper). Sides like feta fries and desserts like baklava ice cream complement the main dishes.
“We’re proud to give Georgians another place to experience the fresh, healthy cuisine of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill,” Patel said. “We were attracted to the brand because of its superb menu, and we know the Roswell community will feel the same. We look forward to welcoming them into the restaurant.”
The Roswell restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It seats 40 guests and also offers catering, pick-up and delivery options.
by UFG | Jun 18, 2024 | News
Providing an excellent experience for the customer is an essential part of operating a business. A customer who is satisfied with their purchase, interactions with staff, and the overall experience is likely to return and recommend the business to others.
But how does customer experience lead directly to a business’ bottom line? More importantly, what can franchisors do to assure the experience customers have will increase revenue for their franchisees?
Franchise Update recently spoke with five franchise marketing executives to see how their brands’ customer experience drives franchisee profits.
Ashley Schuetz
Chief Marketing Officer
Massage Heights
The value of customer experience is integral to driving franchisee profits and especially important for service-based brands like Massage Heights. At the core of great customer experience is a well-rounded brand and team that supports its guests throughout the entirety of their experiences. A positive reputation within the community also lowers acquisition costs, which is essential as our brand expands into new markets.
Successful brands know that behind positive customer experience is a company that will innovate and evolve to match the desires of their everyday consumers. With customer satisfaction as the priority, profitability will inevitably follow. Satisfied customers serve as ideal brand ambassadors as they organically share their experiences in the communities you serve by word-of-mouth and online.
Sharon Villegas
Chief Revenue Officer
Re-Bath
Customer experience plays a pivotal role in driving franchisee profits for Re-Bath, and the success can be attributed to a strategic approach that encompasses expanding our reach, a comprehensive one-stop-shop model, and consistent messaging. Our pledge to a seamless, consistent customer experience plays a pivotal role in driving franchisee profits. By centralizing marketing creative at the corporate office, we ensure franchisees benefit from a unified and compelling message that demonstrates our brand promise.
The marketing processes we’ve implemented allow our franchisees to focus on their day-to-day business activities. In turn, customers across our network receive a consistent experience that contributes to customer loyalty and increased franchisee profits.
Michael Stanfield
Chief Marketing Officer
Mathnasium
Mathnasium’s centers regularly communicate with parents through progress reports, care calls, and quick but effective moments at the car with the students. These frequent parent engagements lead to longer-lasting customer relationships, increased retention rates, and positive word-of-mouth referrals, all of which contribute to higher enrollment and revenue, ultimately driving franchisee profit.
Our personalized assessments deliver tailored learning plans, fostering trust and satisfaction among students and parents. We know empirically that students and families stay longer if they feel engaged by Mathnasium owners through the main stages of the math skill mastery process.
The real results achieved by Mathnasium in improving students’ math skills and confidence directly contribute to the success and profitability of the franchisees’ businesses. Consistent revenue, positive word-of-mouth referrals, and a strong reputation in the community all contribute to long-term profitability.
Laura Rice
Chief Marketing Officer
Celebree School
Celebree School enhances the customer experience by cultivating an exclusive and personalized experience for each of our families. This commitment elevates our brand reputation and proves enticing to potential franchisees. The emphasis on our families enables us to foster stronger connections within our Celebree School communities, which, in turn, translates to repeat business, referrals, positive reviews, and, ultimately, increased profits.
As a brand in the early education space, it is important to continue to adapt and grow as each generation enters our doors. Regular feedback from our families is integral to our continuous improvement efforts, influencing positive changes across all schools. This has benefited franchise profits by ensuring Celebree School is at the forefront of early childhood education.
Taylor Gregory
Director of Marketing
United Franchise Group
Customer experience is integral to driving franchisee profits within any franchise system, and it is our top priority at United Franchise Group (UFG). With 11 diverse franchise brands within our Starpoint Brands division, there are core pillars of the customer experience that translate brand to brand: quality, reliability, and value. In an increasingly saturated and automated business landscape, we’ve found that these pillars are key differentiators for us and set the foundation for our franchise owners’ success.
We’ve set a high standard for our customer experience across all brands so that when a customer comes into any one of our locations globally, they’re met with the highest level of personalized care and unmatched value.
