First Coffee & Donuts – Now, A World of Food Items
The Tim Horton’s franchise chain began with a single location in Hamilton, Ontario [Canada] in 1964.  The restaurant was named after one of its ownership partners, National Hockey league star Tim Horton.  Tim Horton’s franchises originally sold only coffee and donuts, growing especially popular with its Canadian clientele after developing two specialty donuts, the Apple Fritter and the Dutchie.  Items were continually added to the menu throughout the 1970s and 1980s – mostly treats but eventually soups and sandwiches.  Even after Horton lost his life in a car accident in 1974, the franchise continued to grow exponentially under his name.  Franchises were eventually opened in the United States as well as across Canada.

Tim Horton’s Franchise Review
There are more than 350 Tim Horton’s franchise locations in the United States, plus more than 2,750 stores in Canada.  The company’s Canadian operation is said to be more than 95 percent franchise-owned, with a similar goal in mind for operations south of the border.  In 1995, Tim Horton’s merged with Wendy’s International Inc., which is what helped spur growth in the United States.  Nearly every U.S.

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PR NewsWire:

The SUBWAY(R) restaurant chain, the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise, is proud to announce that it has named six outstanding franchisees as recipients of its 2009 Franchisee of the Year awards and three highly respected members of its development community as recipients of its Development Agent of the Year awards during the company’s recent convention in Washington D.C.

SUBWAY(R) Franchisee of the Year awards are presented to the overall winners of the multi-unit and single unit owner categories from North America and the chain’s international emerging and developed markets.

Selected from among the chain’s more than 15,000 franchisees from around the world, the six recipients are: Ashwin Dhanuka of Mumbai, India; Saeeda Rehman Malik of London, England; Lee Jamieson and Tom Jamieson of Bakersfield California; Lana Vieira Martins of Brasilia, Brazil; Hazel Johnstone and Mark Johnstone of Toowoomba, Queensland Australia; and Jonathan Feld of New York, New York.

Competing among 75 regional finalists from around the globe, the Franchisees of the Year are honored for accomplishments such as adding new stores, building sales and increasing profitability while also achieving excellent store evaluations.

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Atlanta News:

Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises, parent company of the Popeyes chicken chain, reported Wednesday a 4.3 percent increase in global same-store sales for the second quarter.

Popeyes helped boost traffic through promotions, including a one-day offer that featured 8 pieces of chicken for $4.99. The chain said it also benefited from lower commodity costs and saw improvements in its guest experience monitoring survey.

AFC reported net income in the second quarter of $6.4 million, compared to $6.6 million in the same quarter last year. Excluding other non-operating income, net income was $4.7 million in the second quarter, compared to $4.3 million last year, AFC said in a press release accompanying the results.

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Yahoo! News:

Fast food giant McDonald’s on Tuesday lost an eight-year trademark battle against a Malaysian curry restaurant after the country’s highest court allowed the latter to use the prefix ‘Mc’.

Malaysia’s Federal Court dismissed an application by McDonald’s Corporation to appeal against an earlier Appeals Court judgment which allowed McCurry to use the prefix.

Chief Judge of Malaya Ariffin Zakaria, reading the verdict of the three-person Federal Court in the administrative capital, said McDonald’s had failed to properly frame its questions when applying to challenge the Appeals Court’s earlier verdict.

“It is unfortunate that we have to dismiss the application with costs,” Ariffin said.

McCurry, which is short for “Malaysian Chicken Curry,” serves Malaysian staples including fish head curry, according to the company website (www.mccurryrecipe.com).

“We feel great that this eight-year legal battle is finally over, and we can now go ahead with whatever we plan to do such as opening new branches,” McCurry owner P. Suppiah told Reuters after the court decision.

McDonald’s, which has 185 outlets in Malaysia, first sued the curry restaurant in 2001 and a High Court ruled in favor of the international fast food chain in 2006.

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PR Newswire:

Baskin-Robbins, America’s favorite ice cream shop, is rapidly expanding its national footprint with today’s announcement that Charleston, South Carolina is now open for franchise sales. More than 12 new stores are projected throughout Charleston and the surrounding area over the next several years.

Baskin-Robbins currently operates more than 6,000 stores in 35 countries and opened more than 600 stores globally in 2008. With a domestic footprint of nearly 2,700 locations, Baskin-Robbins is now seeking exceptional franchisee candidates in Charleston to be part of an unprecedented growth campaign designed to increase its U.S. presence over time. Built over the last 64 years, Baskin-Robbins currently enjoys 98 percent brand awareness across the country and was named for the second consecutive year the number one ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in Entrepreneur magazine’s annual “Franchise 500″ ranking.

To fuel this growth in and around Hilton Head, Baskin-Robbins is actively seeking store developers who possess strong financial backgrounds, the desire to maximize their territory’s sales and have a passion for the communities they will serve.

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The Lindsay Post:

Lindsay’s Boston Pizza promises to be a big community supporter and during the Friday night grand opening party for the new restaurant, franchisee John Fox put his money where his mouth is.

As staff presented Greg McPherson of Kawartha Lakes Food Source with a cheque for $3,500 raised from gratuities received during a half dozen ‘dress rehearsal’ nights, Fox announced that Boston Pizza would match that amount, bringing the donation to a total of $7,000.

The presentation was made as the 101st store in the chain was packed with special guests invited to sample the menu and check out the 435 Kent Street West location.

It seats more than 300 in the dining room, sports bar and patio and features memorabilia provided by the Lindsay and District Sports Hall of Fame. Another local touch is seats made by Lindsay-based Holsag Canada. The store also features a 103-inch HD television. As he addressed the crowd, City of Kawartha Lakes Mayor Ric McGee pointed to the giant screen and joked that it might be the answer for wives wondering where their husbands are.

The location was the result of years of planning for Fox, who is also the general manager of Lindsay’s Canadian Tire. He hired employee Eva Costello to manage the restaurant.

Both shared many jokes with the crowed during the opening ceremonies.

Fox teased Costello for being able to plan her own wedding and quit smoking in the lead up to the opening and Costello jazzed Fox for being able to pull himself away from his other business a couple of blocks away.

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Franchising.com:

 The Inc. 500/5,000 list is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.

“Recognition of this sort is not only terrific for Café Yumm!, but it is terrific for the State of Oregon and all that we do as a leader in sustainable business practices and healthy lifestyles,” explained Café Yumm! co-founder Mark Beauchamp.

The Inc. 500/5,000 ranking follows on the heels of the Portland Business Journal’s recent award to Café Yumm! as No. 9 on its list of fastest growing privately held companies in Oregon. Café Yumm! improved its ranking over 2008 when it was listed as No. 56 on the Top 100 List of Fastest-Growing Food and Beverage Companies and No. 2,288 on the Top 5,000 List of Fastest-Growing Companies.

Other Oregon companies in this year’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Food and Beverage Category include Living Harvest Foods in Portland and Foodguys in Wilsonville.

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India Journal:

“Franchising and Networking is the new mantra to becoming successful in today’s world”, speakers Rajiv Trivedi, VP of La Quinta Corp & Rhonda Sher, Author of ‘The Two Minute Networker’,  said as they addressed a packed audience at the Sheraton  here, during the TIE Southern California monthly meeting on Aug. 19, on the subject – Franchising: The New Solution.

Rajiv Trivedi, under whose leadership, La Quinta Inns and Suites has become a top franchise organization, said, it requires four areas to work on to make a company or an individual successful. These are leadership, culture, success sharing and challenges. He said leadership is attitude, confidence and thinking out of the box. Similarly, one needs to create a culture of commitment, transparency and treating everybody equal to make an organization successful. He further added that sharing success makes one more successful. While defining success, he said, it is about the people you are surrounded by, searching sense of security for one-self and for others and understanding one’s power and limitations.

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The Star Online:

THE recent economic downturn saw a drop in customers, says Peter Chiu from Sarawak, the first McDonald’s franchisee in Malaysia.

However, his belief in the McDonald’s proven system has held him steadfast.

Like all eight franchisees, McDonald’s meets up with them at least six times a year and shares its business strategies.

Henry Tan, a recent franchisee from Batu Pahat, says that the company has had proven success since its beginnings.

“The many store owners the world over can’t be wrong. What’s important is to believe in the system and work passionately,” he says.

“Amid the recent downturn when prices shot up, we met with the franchisees to see what could be done. In a discussion with our company, the franchisees and the suppliers, we introduced the new McValue menu”.

“It was a proven success in South Korea and by adopting the idea, it has worked well here,” says Sarah Casanova, managing director of McDonald’s Malaysia. McDonald’s Malaysia hopes to see its franchisees outlet base grow from the present 17 to an additional 33 by 2012.

“What has really changed for me is the cost averaging system. Even though I own two restaurants in Sarawak, the cost is averaged out.

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FranchiseKey:

Wendy’s announced recently that thanks to the fact that millions of people enjoyed a Wendy’s Frosty during Father’s Day Weekend more children in foster care will have greater opportunities to find permanent, loving homes. The company has now revealed that $1.8 million was raised in its US and Canadian restaurants for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption on June 20 and 21.

According to the information provided, the company pledged a donation of 50 cents to the Foundation for every Frosty product sold in the U.S. during Father’s Day Frosty Weekend. In Canada, $1 was donated for each Frosty sold. In addition, a record number of Frosty pin-ups were sold.

“Through the loyalty of our customers and the generosity and compassion of the Wendy’s system, we once again raised a significant amount of money to support foster care adoption. This effort will have a direct impact on children’s lives,” said Wendy’s President David Karam, a Trustee for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “As Dave Thomas often said, if just one child finds a home from our efforts, it’s all worth it.”

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As a business owner, you know more about your business than any one, but there is one thing you are not too sure about – how much it is worth. This is the first in a series of articles designed to help you learn about business valuation and, if you choose, do your own business valuation.

Defining Value
Before we begin discussing business valuation it is important to define what value is. When asked, most people will struggle to define it then end up using an example like a one dollar bill is worth more than a quarter. Value is difficult to define without comparing at least two items. The comparisons must be well defined to have any meaning. For example a rare quarter may be worth more than a common dollar bill. The first step in any valuation is to accurately and completely define the property that is being valued.

Value is also subjective.  Someone who needs a quarter to plug a parking meter in order to avoid a parking ticket would gladly pay a dollar or more for a quarter. Similarly, one business may have a number of values. A strategic buyer that can plug the customers of the business into its existing system may perceive more value than a person who is going to run the business day-to-day. The second step in valuation is defining for whom the property is being valued.

What is a Business Valuation?
A business valuation is simply an estimate of what a business is worth based its hypothetical sale. It may also be called a business appraisal and has some similarities with real estate appraisals.  A big difference is that much of business value is in the form of intangible assets, or goodwill. Valuing intangible assets involves a process of using various accepted valuation approaches and methods. The goal is to determine a value that can be explained and justified to others.

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NBC Bay Area:

The Santa Rosa city council has approved plans for a new In-N-Out, complete with drive through window, just off 101 in Sonoma County.

The location is the most northerly spot in the beloved Southern California chain’s territory, a distinction previously held by the drive-through-free location in Mill Valley Rohnert Park.

In-N-Out has been lauded by everyone from Fast Food Nation‘s Eric Schlosser to BusinessWeek’s Stacy Perman in her recent In-N-Out Burger.

The chain’s expansion has been limited by a dedication to fresh beef, with no franchising on offer and all meat delivered from a company-owned processing plant in the Central Valley.

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PR-inside.com:

7-Eleven, Inc. rocks out this month with “Battle of the Bands,” an in-store and online promotion that pits 28 bands from across the U.S. in a music video competition at www.slurpee.com : and adds an in-store first – three colorful 32-oz guitar-shaped Slurpee® cups and a giant 54-ounce guitar-shaped Big Gulp® cup.

The Big Gulp guitar cup comes in both blue and red and has its own custom guitar strap and straw. It is replicated after the guitar controllers in today’s wildly popular rock music video games.

All five guitars can be personalized with stickers that are included with purchase. In addition, three collectible Slurpee straws feature psychedelic guitars, each with a unique design that can be removed and used as a backpack clip or keychain. It wouldn’t be a Slurpee promotion without something new to savor. Battle Berry is September’s featured Slurpee flavor, a sweet and tart combination created by The Coca-Cola Company, which blends the new yumberry super-fruit taste with currant and other berries.

The centerpiece of the promotion is the actual online “Battle of the Bands” that includes a top prize of $10,000 for the last band standing. The final four each receive a $1,000 prize and a custom-made electric guitar designed like a giant Slurpee cup.

Almost 70 bands submitted music videos of original songs. Requirements were that the song length be less than four minutes and contain no offensive material. Of those submitted, 28 bands were selected to participate in the online competition that has visitors to the Slurpee Nation website voting for their favorite throughout September. These 28 will receive $500 7-Eleven gift cards.

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The Employee Job Life Cycle describes the evolving quality, productivity and job retention of typical employees throughout the process of hiring, employment and then termination. An employee life cycle is the steps the employees go through from the time they enter a company until they leave. Often Human Resources professionals focus their attention on the steps in this process in hopes of making an impact on the company’s bottom line. That is a good thing for them to do. Their goal is to reduce the company’s cost per employee hired.

Unfortunately, they aren’t the ones who really make a difference – managers are. People don’t really work for companies; they work for their boss. To the extent that you can be a good boss, you can keep employees, keep them happy, and reduce the costs associated with employee turnover. In the process, you will make your own job easier and increase your value to the company.

An employee joins a new Organisation; therefore he is always into the torment to set up him on the job. A brief introduction of the company and its entire rules & regulations book is given to the employee during the induction process. Thereafter, employee is placed on the job for live exposure of the job, where he interacts with the existing employees and tries to be friendly with them. Upon his work he faces various obstacles such as rude behavior of seniors & juniors, negative comments from dissatisfied colleagues, weak support from management and many other problems. Sometimes employees’ leave in frustration in such situations, but those who pass through the tough times, they might have a better future in the Organisation.

Upon the job, the job responsibilities are changed so that employee learns about the various skills required to work. Also, so that employee does not feel monotones on the job.

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Business Wire:

Kumon, the world’s largest after-school education company, ranks No. 1 in Forbes magazine’s list of Top 20 Franchises to Start. The franchise attracts people who value education and aspire to help children build confidence, independent learning skills, and a strong foundation in math and reading. Operating for more than 50 years, the franchise now helps students in 46 countries around the world.

“This education franchise was founded by a father’s love for his son,” says Hideki Kusuzawa, president of Kumon North America. “Today, the model continues, as our franchisees are often Kumon parents who experience the powerful benefits of the program and decide to open a center to help children in their communities.”

Kumon sees a growing trend among professionals leaving the corporate world to seek a more rewarding career mentoring and helping children achieve their dreams and become contributing members of society. Kumon continues to open centers across North America during this challenging economic period. Potential candidates must demonstrate a passion for learning and children, and pass rigorous math and reading exams.

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QSR Web:

Eleven-year-old Elliot Srikantia is the perfect example of what Carl’s Jr. aimed to achieve with its recent viral “How I Eat a Burger” campaign. Srikantia is a fan of one of the YouTube stars the company asked to promote the chain’s new Portobello Mushroom Six Dollar Burger. But the Shaker Heights, Ohio, resident had never eaten at a Carl’s Jr.

Then, he visited family in Oakland, Calif., last month and repeatedly asked to visit Carl’s Jr. to taste the burger. For Srikantia, the chance to try the sandwich was the highlight of his trip to California.

For Carl’s Jr., the YouTube partnership met its mark, with more than 6 million online views of the videos and one of the chain’s most successful burger launches.

As a regional chain, the company is continually looking for fresh ways to target its young, hungry guy demographic on a limited marketing budget. The brand is known for its sexy television ads and has more recently created buzz for its edgy work online, where the 18-34 age group spends more of its time.

The brand’s latest effort drew on the online viewing power of nine YouTube video creators, or vloggers, in a campaign developed by the innovations group for the chain’s media agency Initiative.

Ezra Cooperstein, Initiative’s vice president and director of the innovations group, said the agency was pretty confident it could leverage the video creators’ combined total of 3.8 million YouTube subscribers to draw attention to the burger as well as the brand’s new YouTube channel.

“We decided this was a really interesting advertising opportunity for a brand that was looking to have some immediate buzz around a product launch,” Cooperstein said.

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 QSR Magazine:

PCI compliance has become an issue of great concern for quick-service restaurants within the last year. Roundtable Corporation, a multiunit Dairy Queen Franchisee, faced several challenges because of these numerous components required for PCI compliance. Roundtable’s IT department felt it was in their best interest to let SecureConnect manage their Internet security and network support.

“SecureConnect has the resources in place to make the transition as seamless as possible, and they were also recommended through DQ Corporate,” says Mike Stump, director of information technology at Roundtable. The franchisee was introduced to SecureConnect through a Dairy Queen Webinar.

The security benefits associated with maintaining PCI compliance are vital to the long-term success of all merchants who process card payments. This includes continual identification of threats and vulnerabilities that could potentially impact the organization. Most organizations never fully recover from data breaches because the loss is greater than the data itself.

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Pegasus News:

DALLAS — Dallas’ Preston Royal Village will be the first US location of Pinkberry to open outside of the California and New York Markets.

“Preston Royal Village represents the heart of Dallas. This prominent location has been thriving for over 50 years and will continue to be a vital part of the Dallas community for a long time to come,” says Adam Saxton, director of development and an owner of Saxton Pierce Restaurant Corporation, exclusive franchisee for Pinkberry in Dallas-Ft. Worth.

Pinkberry is joining excellent company within Preston Royal Village, located on the northeast and northwest corners of Preston Road and Royal Lane and home to over 65 distinctive shops and services. Customers will be able to enjoy Pinkberry while browsing at Barnes & Noble, shopping next door at Merge, treating their four legged friend to treats from City Pet, or during play dates at Smashing Times.

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TradingMarkets:

In overhauling its image, Pizza Inn is working the nostalgia card to revitalize the 51-year-old chain, bringing back checkered tabletops and breathing life into its discarded mascot Jo Jo, a dough-flipping, mustachioed cartoon chef.

Not all memories at the chain are happy ones. But the business may have survived one of the restaurant industry’s most turbulent times.

In the past 20 years, Pizza Inn periodically bathed in red ink; lost a swath of stores; sued its founder in a trademark dispute; skated perilously close to liquidation during the 1989 bankruptcy of its second owner, Pantera Corp.; lost in court against ex-CEO Ronnie Parker over a mammoth severance claim; accepted defeat in a legal fracas with Pepsi; and claimed victory in a suit against its former attorneys.

Pizza Inn’s headquarters is in The Colony in Denton County. It was launched in 1958, the same year as Pizza Hut. But it’s had a very different ride in the competitive Italian pie sector.

Pizza Hut, now part of the YUM! Brands stable that includes KFC and Taco Bell, has 6,200 U.S. restaurants and 4,000 abroad. Meanwhile at Pizza Inn, its management distracted by crises or, self-admittedly, not always working in the best interest of its franchise holders, lost more than half its stores in recent decades, down to 310 from a peak of 747 stores in 1979.

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Dallas News:

The largest Pizza Hut franchisee told analysts Monday that the company does not expect a rebound in same-store-sales until late this year.

Jim Schwartz, president and chief executive of NPC International Inc., said he was disappointed and “frankly frustrated” with the company’s 12.6 percent drop in same-store-sales from continuing operations for the quarter that ended June 30.

It was the third consecutive negative quarter for the Overland Park, Kan.-based company, due in part to difficult comparisons to last year’s sales tally. That’s when Addison-based Pizza Hut launched its line of Tuscani pastas. Schwartz noted that cash-strapped consumers have been looking for less expensive meals, even among the pizza players.

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