A catering veteran said: How did I select and operate franchise brands?

With the increasingly perfect supply chain and the popularization of digital management of stores, we see that more and more catering brands have chosen to join the chain.

For countless entrepreneurs, catering franchise can also achieve rapid entrepreneurship, choosing a well-known big brand to join, hugging the thigh, may be able to unlock the wealth code. But in fact, catering franchising is an esoteric knowledge, especially in the new era, many catering brands have opened up their franchises one after another. There are still many pain points and difficulties in how entrepreneurs choose brands and how to operate them.

Xia Binsheng is a practitioner in the tourism real estate industry in Huizhou, Guangdong. At the same time, he is also the vice president of the Huizhou Tourism Association and the Huizhou Cooking Association. Currently, he is mainly responsible for providing commercial support for the tourism real estate projects in Huizhou. Since 2006, he has successively participated in investment and joined well-known catering brands such as Mengziyuan, No.9 Old Shanghai Wonton, Huangshanghuang, Zhengxin Chicken Chop, Yonghe Soymilk, etc., involving different categories.

With more than ten years of experience in the catering industry, he is well versed in the selection of catering franchises and the management of brands. The following is Xia Binsheng's self-report, the article is slightly edited and revised.

How to choose a brand when joining a business?

As an investor, choosing a project is very important.

When we choose a project, we must first consider whether the brand has influence; the second is the market space of the category; the third is the investment cost and return cycle; the fourth is the strength of the headquarters, and analyze whether the brand is trustworthy.

(The picture comes from the red meal network)

Take the 9th flavor of old Shanghai big bone soup wontons as an example. In fact, before the 9th flavor, I had signed the regional agent of Mengziyuan and Yonghe Soy Milk, and most of the stores were doing well. Then why should I choose the 9th flavor?

First of all, wontons belong to the category of high-frequency and rigid needs. They are suitable for three meals a day in the morning, noon and evening, and are suitable for consumption by any group of people. They are suitable for men, women and children. It is also very suitable as a working meal for office workers.

Secondly, to open a wonton store, the store does not need to be too large, and the investment cost will not be too high, which greatly reduces our investment risk. Moreover, once a risk occurs in a small store, it is easier for entrepreneurs to turn around.

Third, we must also consider the comprehensive strength of the brand. For example, whether the brand has strong supply chain capabilities, personnel training capabilities, store expansion and location selection capabilities, brand operation and promotion capabilities, etc. The comprehensive strength of the brand is the solid backing and confidence of franchisees. Of course, we can't understand from the brand side alone, but also need to go to some offline franchise stores for on-the-spot inspection. I have visited the headquarters of the 9th flavor company many times, and also visited many of its offline stores. After multiple inspections, I finally selected the brand.

In addition, it is also very important whether the brand has a clear understanding of the market and whether it has a long-term strategic plan. After all, many brands are now open to joining just to restore blood by joining, and even many new brands are open to join just to "cut leeks", Making a quick buck is not a genuine desire to run a long-term business. When the brand has a foresighted pattern, as a franchisee, it will have the confidence and greater motivation to rush behind.

The store is open, how to do business well?

The headquarters can help with preparatory work such as site selection, design, training, etc., but the specific operation and management of the store has to rely on itself.

The store is open, how to do business well? This is the most important.

(The picture comes from the red meal network)

In my opinion, the operation of a restaurant has the following key elements:

First of all, when a new store is opened, it needs to attract traffic and target customers.

A new store, how to attract traffic and lock users? Our method is to establish VIP groups, and we also launch some activities to attract guests. For example, a member day is set every week, and members can enjoy a certain discount when they shop at the store; members can eat for free on their birthdays; and red envelopes are issued to stimulate consumption, etc.

But in fact, many restaurants have set up such activities. How to increase the fun of the activity and make the guests feel fresh and active participation requires some ingenuity.

Take giving out red packets as an example. We can set a certain preferential mechanism, such as sending 20 red envelopes, the first one who grabs it can enjoy the corresponding discount; the best luck can enjoy half-price discount; if the three numbers in the red envelope are the same (such as 1.11, 2.22, etc. ), then the bill is free. This interesting activity will make consumers feel fresh, and the customer's stickiness will naturally be formed. For many customers, a meal that can save one or two yuan, three or five yuan is also an attraction and can improve their satisfaction.

Secondly, in store operation and management, quality, service and hygiene are very important.

At present, the catering industry has entered an era of stock competition, and restaurants with insufficient QSC standards will be accelerated and eliminated. The so-called QSC refers to the three aspects of quality, service and hygiene. Even if we have joined a good brand and the headquarters company has provided us with high-quality ingredients, we still cannot relax in the daily operation of the store.

(The picture comes from the red meal network)

Pay attention to the quality of the product. Catering is actually a conscience business. What conscience? I think what we make ourselves, in principle, can be eaten by the guests only if you can eat it yourself. If we give the guests what we are unwilling to eat, it will definitely be unpopular.

To improve store service. Everyone has different opinions on service. In my opinion, the best service is to make guests feel comfortable and comfortable during the dining process.

Keep the store clean and hygienic. For example, our restaurant is closed every day. After the cleaning is done every day, we will send the photos of the kitchen and the hall to the VIP group, so that customers can also feel it; every week, we will carry out general cleaning and thorough cleaning of the store ; Every ten days or so, we will invite professionals who disinfect and kill to show the case, which is signed every year; in addition, every quarter, we will also invite professionals who clean the ventilation system and kitchen stove to help with deep cleaning.

I always believe that the cleanliness of a restaurant is a guarantee of good quality, and it is also the most basic work. Only when the basic work is done well, the operation and management of the restaurant will be smooth.

Third, we must know how to tap new increments with the help of online channels.

Many of our stores are community stores or office buildings, and the customer base is limited. The neighborhood is so big, and the crowd is relatively fixed. They may spend up to three or four times a week in your store, but it is impossible for them to come to your house to eat every day, and they will get tired of eating for a long time. So how to tap new users and expand sales?

(The picture comes from the red meal network)

I think online platforms, such as takeout, are a good way for us to attract traffic. At the same time, you can also give some small gifts, side dishes, etc., so that guests have reasons to continue to buy again. However, you also need to pay attention to two points when doing takeout. The first is to do a good job in scoring, and the second is to do a good job in quality. A high score can give the store more exposure, and good quality is one of the main reasons for consumers to repurchase.

Fourth, as more stores are opened, talent development and talent reserve must keep up.

As a labor-intensive industry, the importance of "people" in the catering industry is self-evident. Anyone who has worked in catering knows that the industry turnover rate is very high, and recruiting is a very headache. As a boss, it is impossible to take care of everything in the store.

Although there are many external talent intermediaries and recruitment channels, I think catering operators still need to have the awareness of cultivating talents and cannot rely solely on social recruitment. This kind of talent structure is relatively stable. In addition, some institutions can also be used to train relevant talents. For example, we will reach a cooperation with local vocational schools in Huizhou, Guangdong. During the annual holidays, or during the summer vacation and the Spring Festival, we will hire vocational school students who specialize in catering to do it for us. Temporary workers.

(The picture comes from the red meal network)

Why choose these people? First of all, they have experience and can integrate into the catering industry faster; secondly, they come to our company for part-time jobs during holidays or summer vacations every year, which is equivalent to slowly cultivating them into reserve talents. After they graduate, we can target them to recruit.

Of course, after recruiting or training a group of talents, it is also very important to retain the talents. Like we have two initiatives, one is to recruit professionals through salaries that are higher than the industry level. For example, graduates of general technical secondary schools will only receive a probationary salary of 4,000 at most, but if we are our reserve store manager, we can give 5,000, which is an advantage in salary level.

In addition, we also launched a partnership system to retain talents through equity incentives. For example, the manager of each store becomes the first person in charge of the store after participating in the investment. In addition to the annual dividend, they can also get additional bonus rewards when they reach a certain turnover standard every month. With goals, employees will have a stronger sense of belonging, they will naturally be more active, and spend their time running stores, and such a team will be more stable.

write at the end

Xia Binsheng's method of screening projects and store operation and management may not be applicable to everyone, but the thinking direction and concept behind it are worth learning and pondering for entrepreneurs who want to enter the market.

Before choosing a project, entrepreneurs must have a certain ability to think, what kind of category is suitable for joining, and whether the brand to join is strong? Whether the brand is reliable requires multiple researches.

After joining the brand and opening the store, it is just the beginning. Catering is a diligent operation. In many cases, entrepreneurs need to do it themselves, and only after the end of the business can they find and solve problems.

Finally, remember that investment and entrepreneurship have certain risks. Don’t blindly think that as long as you join a well-known brand, you can sit back and relax, and you can make a fortune while lying down. Even for large chain brands with strong control and full custody, there are not a few self-operated stores closed or closed, and the empowerment of the brand side is always limited.

(Contributed writer: Xiaojiang Chen from Red Food Network)