Ever hear of the Filet-O-Fish sandwich? Or the Blizzard frozen treat? Both were invented by franchisees – not the parent company.
It was a McDonald’s franchisee in Cincinnati who, 50 years ago, devised the fast-food chain’s popular Filet-O-Fish sandwich. And a Dairy Queen franchisee invented that company’s blockbuster Blizzard frozen treat.
Dave Hood, president of franchisor consultancy iFranchise Group, noted these landmarks during a talk Friday at the International Franchise Expo to drive home his larger point – that franchisors need to listen to their franchisees.
Selecting the right franchisees and treating them well may, in fact, be the most important rules for franchisors as they start and build their companies. Those were key messages in a wide-ranging presentation for new franchisors that Hood, who is also former president of Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels, gave with Robert Stidham, president of franchise sales outsourcing firm Franchise Dynamics.
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