As an industry veteran with over 50 years working with the franchise community, I have a special appreciation for franchisees.  Franchisees are “all in”, and this includes personal guarantees. As such, I recognize and value of franchisors that appreciate the commitment their franchisees make to the brand.  The industry should recognize those Franchisors that view the franchisees as their customers, not just a distribution vehicle.  

During a recent conversation with Aziz Hashim of NRD Capitol (Frisch’s Big Boy and five other brands), he shared his perspective about his company’s role as a franchisor, and the relationship between the franchisor and franchisee. 

Over a 40-year career Aziz Hashim has been an operator, a multi-unit franchisee, chairman of the IFA, and a franchisor. Those experiences have led Aziz to launch his newest, most ambitious, and perhaps most important project, Experiential Brands: a collection of 6 innovative restaurant concepts. “Experiential Brands addresses what I see to be a missed opportunity within franchising today, a focus on franchisee profitability,” said Aziz when we spoke recently on his latest endeavor. 

Experiential Brands, which will be a collection of 6 innovative restaurant concepts, was created to address the realities of today’s business environment and address the fundamental principle of business success: compelling unit economics. Experiential Brand’s has Five Core Principles which are pivotal in achieving Aziz’s goal of being a “Profit Focused Franchisor,” those Principals are:

A Low Cost To Open – a focus on re-using existing restaurant spaces and co-locating multiple brands within the same facility either virtually, or if space allows, as part of a “Food Hub” – this combination yields a powerfully efficient initial investment model. When Aziz speaks of co-locating brands, he is not speaking of the industry’s past attempts to force two brands into the same space, with two dissimilar equipment packages, rather all the Experiential Brand’s portfolio of concepts are designed to fit together seamlessly, cross utilizing equipment to both control costs as well as reduce complexity. 

Craveable Food at Affordable Prices - offering delicious chef driven food at great prices, and that keeping prices low drives guest traffic and ultimately restaurant and franchisee success. 

Simplified Menu & Operations – concepts distinguished by a few, core menu items, designed to operate synergistically, complimenting one another, thereby lowering labor costs, and improving the speed of service, while offering guests the variety they desire.

Technology Forward – utilize technology in all facets of business including marketing, operations, and training to meet the demands of guests and simplify processes for their team members. 

Off-Premises Focused – Delivery, pickup, and catering are larger parts of the business opportunity today than in prior years, and Experiential Brand’s menu offerings are optimized for these channels, and created to remain high quality when they arrive at a guest’s home or office. Experiential Brands further builds on the off-premises opportunities with its partnership with Franklin Junction, a technology company that helps optimize the off-premises experience for guests, while driving incremental dollars into the restaurants. 

Quick Q&A With Aziz:

NFS: Aziz, I know that Experiential Brands will showcase six different concepts, what are these concepts today, and what’s next?

AH: Today we have launched our first three concepts, The Original Hot Chicken, Inked Taco’s, and Pinsa Roman Pizza. In the weeks to come, we will be adding to the portfolio a high quality, fresh burger concept, and an Asian Fusion concept followed by a Snack concept.

NFS: I know you talk about craveable menu items, but what’re some of your personal favorites? 

AH: I love the Hot Chicken Sando at The Original Hot Chicken, it’s very unique in that its pickle brined, rolled in corn flakes, and then brushed with a sauce of your choice. My other favorite, is Inked Taco’s signature Birria Tacos, I probably eat those at least once a week.

NFS: Where can someone find out more about these great brands, and what you mean by “Profit Focused Franchising?” 

AH: The best place to start is at our website https://experiential-brands.com  or stop into one of our restaurants in the Atlanta area.

NFS: What’s next on the horizon for Experiential Brands that we haven’t already covered? 

AH: We are in the process of launching a Food Hub outside of Atlanta, which will house all of our brands under one roof and allow guests to pick and choose between all of the brands from one single order point, so a family doesn’t have to pick between their favorites, they can mix tacos, burgers, hot chicken, all at one time.

I look forward to seeing how this focus on franchisee profitability blends with these new innovative concepts.