Franchise Opportunities Network President Garth Snider interviews Greg Voinovich from Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen

Hello, I am Garth Snider.  I am the President of Franchise Opportunities Network, which is the parent company of FranchiseOpportunities.com as well as numerous other franchise lead generation portals.  Today, Greg Voinovich, VP of Development with Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, a division of AFC Enterprises has joined us to answer a few questions about Popeye’s 2009 franchise development strategy.

GARTH: What is Popeye’s doing in the new year to attract new franchisees?

GREG: Please let me explain our strategic plan first and then I will talk about our tactics to attract specific franchisees.  Our business strategy plan focuses on the following four specific pillars.

• Build the Brand - Invite the guest, in other words grow traffic.  We have a series of initiatives specifically behind this pillar and our goal is to have food so good you cannot wait to eat at Popeye’s.
• Run Great Restaurants/Delight the Guest - These are the operational programs that we have to make the restaurants operate better such as, higher guest satisfaction and higher food quality.  We have an organized systematic plan to go through this step-by-step.  The goal is an experience so good; you cannot wait to come back to Popeye’s.
• Grow Profitably - We have a stated goal to improve our restaurant operating profit - our goal is to have returns so good that our franchisees cannot wait to own Popeye’s and build more Popeye’s.
• Align and Collaborate - building on the new partnership we have with our franchisees or franchise partners, or a partnership so good that it drives results.

With these pillars in place, we are getting ready to grow fast even with all the chaos in the marketplace, the marketplace has not stopped.  These are very exciting times and what that means as a restaurant operator is that the corner site at the corner of Main and Main that has not been available in 35 years, may finally become available.  So, what we are doing is getting all these properties in place so that the moment things do turn around, our franchisees are ready and we are ready to take market share from our other competitors.  That is what we are doing strategically right now to get ready as a brand, so we are making the brand more attractive and that builds our franchisee validation.  Our franchisees are happier with where we are and where we are going.

When it comes to successfully attracting new franchisees, we as a brand need to understand who our franchise customers are.  We have already indentified who we think are our best partners.  Most of the new franchisee recruits we are having the most success with are existing franchisees of other brands.  They are established, build out their market plan and have plenty of resources.  Being a fried chicken concept, there are many other concepts that we do not compete with and that makes us a good partner.  We can help them continue to grow and make them stronger.  We have a very large burger concept and do well with co-branding.  They look at us as a significant piece of a strategic plan to continue their renewals.   Adding a Popeye’s as a co-brand could increase your overall revenue and renewals.

GARTH: There are been a lot of talk about the credit crunch and how it is affecting franchisees.  Have you seen that in your business at all?

GREG: Yes, very much so.  For the franchisee’s that had relationships with larger lenders, they are now facing challenges because they are no longer lending to the restaurant community.

GARTH: Is there anything that Popeye’s or AFC Enterprises is doing to help the financing along?

GREG: Yes, as a brand we are going out and recruiting lenders.  We have five or six different lending needs for franchisees. Not everyone is doing new construction; some are doing a build out, remodel or need new equipment.  Since most lenders are specialized, we can give out franchisees a choice that fits their needs.

GARTH: Do you think the profile of Popeye’s will change over the next few years and/or has it changed over the past 12 months?

GREG: Yes, I think our profile for recruiting new franchisee has changed.  Typically, we have found that we have the highest opportunity for success with somebody who is already a franchisee of another brand.  We look for solid business and restaurant experience.

GARTH: Why start a Popeye’s franchise in this market and/or what separates a Popeye’s from the other well run concepts out there right now?

GREG: Since Popeye’s is an establishment, we have a lot of growth opportunity.  Because we are considerably large and have the resources, we will continue to grow.  Even in this recession, we have made plans to continue to spend money on our operations and marketing support.  I would have to say that the biggest advantage is that we are substantial enough to be there and give you the support you need, yet we have enough opportunity that you can get a good territory and grow it.

GARTH: That is great information.  Thank you for joining us this afternoon and answering my questions.  I am sure our prospective franchisees will find it useful.

GREG: Thank you for inviting me and take care.