Former Auto Mechanic Plans To Open A Shakey's Restaurant In Spokane, Wash., This Summer

(Monday, April 06, 2009) - Nick Hersey, a former auto mechanic, discovered a passion for the restaurant business while working at Shakey's Pizza during his senior year in college.

Hersey and his father, Steve, bought the rights to develop Shakey's Pizza restaurants in Washington State and Idaho. Steve Hersey has worked in Shakey's IT department in the Los Angeles area since the mid-70s.

"The customer service aspect of the restaurant business came fairly easy to me," Nick Hersey said. "The big challenge was learning how to pay close attention to food quality and sanitation. It wasn't difficult, but I didn't know any of that before starting with Shakey's."

He enjoyed his time as an employee so much, he said, that after he graduated from college he and his father decided to open their own Shakey's.

"My father and I got to talking, and I had an interest in developing a bar and grill-type restaurant," he said. "During the conversation, it escalated to 'Shakey's is available for franchising, so why don't we take a look at that?' It just went from there."

According to Dan Rowe, the cofounder of franchise development company Fransmart, spending some time as an employee before committing to buying a franchise can help a prospective owner decide if the operation is a good fit.

"When you are working for a company you get access to information and an insider's perspective you couldn't get being an outsider," Rowe said. "Among other things, you would learn if you really wanted to be in that business. Once you buy a franchise, it's too late to wonder."

The prospective franchisee would understand not just how to do things but why, Rowe said. And to top it off, he or she would be paid while learning all the best practices of running that concept.

Often, spending time as an employee can reap benefits not available to outsiders looking to purchase a franchise. Steve Hersey's employment with Shakey's made him eligible for a discount on franchise fees. He and son Nick plan to open a Shakey's restaurant in Spokane, Wash., this summer.

View all Shakey's Pizza Press Releases

This article has been read 705 times.

Printed From:
http://www.thefranchisemall.com/news/articles/22427-0.htm