With lessons under its belt, hamburger joint tries franchising again
Even the most promising of ideas can suffer from a lack of attention to detail. Pat Snuffer learned that a decade ago when he tried to franchise his venerated burger joint. Despite a clientele fiercely loyal to Snuffer’s burgers and cheese fries, the venture failed to prosper. The company had only two restaurants in the Dallas area at the time and lacked the distribution network or management infrastructure needed to support restaurants hundreds of miles apart.
Individual restaurants had to find their own food sources and “after a while, it wasn’t the same product,” said Mr. Snuffer, who opened the first Snuffer’s here in 1978. Throw in a lack of parking space at the Houston location, and the franchising attempt in 1996 fizzled.
Today, Snuffer’s is an eight-restaurant chain with heft in its management ranks and a logistics plan. So Mr. Snuffer figures the time is right to try franchising again.
“We can better administer the franchisee and help them succeed instead of, ‘Here’s the recipe book, the name, and good luck to you,’ ” he said over the din of chainsaws as he hung pictures at the newest Snuffer’s, which he owns, in Highland Village.
The franchising program will be the most significant expansion for the restaurant company, which turns 30 in June. Mr. Snuffer says he hopes to have six franchises open or in development by this time next year.
The first go at franchising was in College Station and Houston. The second will probably follow a similar path, focusing on Texas cities and locations in contiguous states.
The first Snuffer’s opened on Dallas’ Greenville Avenue; it was joined by a sibling in Addison 11 years later.
“The concept can travel from one demographic set to another and not miss a beat,” Mr. Snuffer said. “We do have all the elements in place now.”
Details on franchise packages are still being worked out, but Mr. Snuffer expects them to be ready by early January. Already, he said, he has offers from more than 50 potential franchisees.
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