How did you get into the industry?
One of my first jobs was washing dishes. Then, I was given an opportunity to start cooking and I fell in love with it. I worked my way through the restaurant business working as a chef, manager, general manager, corporate trainer and then owner. I’ve had the honor of helping to open up 13 restaurants in my career.
Tell us about your franchise model.
Bohemian Bull is a craft beer and burger restaurant focused on high quality food made from scratch. We are a full service restaurant that prides ourselves in the welcoming and friendly atmosphere we provide. In addition to our ground-in-house burgers we have a diverse menu, world class cocktail program and a massive rotating draft beer menu.
Where do you see opportunities or challenges in the business moving forward?
Finding quality candidates to fill positions has always been a challenge, but if you provide a great culture and pay a fare wage the right people will find you! The rising cost of goods is also an ongoing challenge, but customers are willing to pay a more premium price if the quality is there.
What are your unique points of training and support?
The franchisee and their management team will be put through a 6 week training program at our corporate restaurant to give them a foundation of our operations and culture. Following the training at the corporate restaurant a group of certified trainers will come to the franchisee’s restaurant to assist in the grand opening and the training of the new staff. We will also provide the managers with systems that will make running a Bohemian Bull as simple as possible, from system checklists to order guides. After your Bohemian Bull is open, we will have continued support through ongoing visits to your store and a readily available training team.
Describe a difficult moment in your franchise journey.
Since we are an emerging brand, we haven’t had many difficult situations so far, but I can foresee one of the most challenging circumstances will be to build the a culture in all the stores that we have done in our corporate store.
Define your Franchise Model:
A. Training and Support Model? Please see answer above
B. What is the Fee Structure? $50,000 franchise fee, 5% royalties and 1% ad fee
C. Territory Definition? An Individual Territory will be no less than 75,000 population or a 3-mile radius (whichever comes first).
What does your franchisee do in the business every day?
They will be responsible for daily operations to include but not limited to, accounting, cash flow, hiring and training, cash management, inventory management, cleanliness, marketing, controlling labor cost and controlling cost of goods.
Describe the ideal franchisee.
Our ideal franchisees would meet the following criteria: well rounded, strong sales and customer service abilities, good with timing and schedule management, general business sense, company culture buy-in, high personal standards: honesty, and integrity, they are able to meet initial investment requirements, and understand cost management.
Do you have any success stories you would like to share?
Our corporate store has had sales growth for 7 years. Even in 2020 with the impact of Covid 19 we still had one of our best years, with 5 record sales months. Our dedication to being a positive influence and giving back to the community resulted in our community giving back to us. We had unprecedented support in 2020. We we also nominated in our local paper for Best James Island Restaurant, Best James Island Bar, Best James Island Brunch, Best Beer Selection on Tap, Best Kid Friendly Restaurant, and Best James Island Happy Hour.
What are your goals for your company in the future?
Our goal is to provide franchisees with an opportunity to own and operate a successful business. We also want to be a positive influence on people and give back to our communities.
For more information on the Bohemian Bull Franchise, please visit their website at www.bohemianbull.com.