5 Tips for Running a Fast Food Franchise

If you’ve always dreamed of running a business, franchising is a great way to go about it. Especially with a fast food restaurant, which is such a successful option that franchising has actually become intricately tied to and associated with QSRs (quick service restaurants). Read on, and find out how to run that fast food delivery franchise effectively and efficiently.

In the next five years, the fast food industry is predicted to keep growing and growing [IBISWorld], so if you decide to start running a fast food franchise now, you can be sure your market is moving in the right direction. But bear in mind: This also means the market will remain highly competitive moving forwards. Below are five tips that will keep your fast food business at the top of its game, even in competitive conditions.

Why start a fast food franchise?

There are a few key advantages to running a fast food franchise, and one of the biggest of all is the undeniably high amount of consumer demand that you’ll benefit from in this industry. In the UK, the fast food market is worth over £15 billion [Statista], a figure that continues to climb. A stable and high level of demand cannot be overstated as an incredibly valuable thing, which is by no means present in every industry post-COVID. But even beyond demand, there are many more advantages to fast food franchising, such as...

• Room to dynamically update your franchise to meet new consumer wants/needs
• Endless space to grow and develop
• Easy access to franchisor support and guidance
• Availability of lower-cost investment options (especially when compared to fine dining franchises)
• The ability to capitalise on current trends to expand your customer base (sustainability, veganism, so on)
• The chance to enter an industry on an upswing
• The chance to be your own boss and set yourself flexible working hours

5 tips for running a fast food franchise

Once you’ve chosen the right fast food franchise for you and made your investment, you’ll be running a fast food franchise and building a business every working day. Follow these five tips, and you’ll make that business as successful as possible, ensuring its long-term ability to grow, succeed and thrive…

1. Nail your recruitment strategy

When you make a career change with a fast food franchise, you’ll do a lot to prepare your franchise for launch. One thing that you might be tempted to rush, when you’re juggling a lot of different responsibilities? Creating an effective recruitment strategy, and giving hiring and onboarding the time it truly needs. A bad or confused employee is, to a franchise, what a hole is to a boat: very much able to sink the thing. A long recruitment process might seem time consuming, but given how crucial it is to hire correctly, it’ll be 100% worth it.

2. Never forget the “Q” in “QSR”

This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how easily it can slip down the list when other thoughts and considerations continue to take priority. Put simply, quick service restaurants are supposed to be quick. You can’t keep customers waiting a million times longer than they’re expecting to be waiting, because if you do, you’ll hardly be able to call yourself a “FAST” food restaurant anymore.

Remember, as you plan operational strategies and determine how many team members is the right amount for your franchise, that customer experience should always come first. And in the fast food landscape, an ideal customer experience is a super-speedy, super-easy one.

3. Consistently prioritise quality control

Quality matters massively to customer experience and to the reputation of not just your franchise, but the entire brand. As the owner of a fast food franchise, quality control should be a huge element of your day-to-day role, extending past simply the food being served and into all the other crucial elements, such as the cleanliness of the fast food restaurant (dining side and kitchen side) and the standard of customer service being provided.

4. Remain aware of developments and trends in the fast food sector/your specific niche

If you know the biggest fast food trends of 2022, you can prepare for them. You can utilise them in your marketing and your menu of offerings and effectively pre-empt demand before it trickles down to your own customers, consistently positioning your franchise as on-the-ball and ahead of the game. 

There will also be micro-trends within your specific niche to consider and give your focus to. For example, donut franchises experienced the year of the “cronut” (a hybrid croissant-donut that incited a full-on consumer craze) in 2013, and those who capitalised on this really, really capitalised - whereas those who failed to react found their business’s performance suffered.

5. Never forget that your franchisor is on hand to support the success of your fast food franchise

The attitude of any good franchisor should sound something like: “The success of my franchisee is my success, too, and a network of strong and happy franchisees equals a strong and happy company!” If you’ve chosen right with your franchise investment and your franchisor has this attitude, don’t forget they’ll always be on hand to help, advise and guide you. You’re a franchisee, not a solo business owner, so you’re never alone  in the competitive fast food landscape.

The relationship between franchisee and franchisor doesn’t end when the franchise agreement is signed. A good franchisor recognises the importance of investment in ongoing support and training for the franchise team and is in tune with what the franchisees need from the management team.
- Fiona Simpson, Forbes

Become a franchisee in the fast food sector now, and enjoy all the benefits of running your own business

Now you know how to run your fast food franchise, it’s time to head towards making that investment if it feels right for you. Stay on Point Franchise, and browse the site’s wide range of fast food franchise investment opportunities. Where do you fit in? Would you like to serve oriental street food with Robunmo? Or innovative, cooked-on-the-doorstep pizza with Mostro Pizza? The choice is yours, and the fast food industry is wide open.