Franchise Pick

Doug’s Fish Fry Franchise vs. Make and Take Gourmet Franchise: a Tale of 2 Franchisors

by sean on May 12th, 2008

(FranchisePick.Com) Also read: Make & Take Gourmet: Meal Prep Franchisor Takes Failures in Stride, Patrons of Failed Franchise Blast Make and Take Gourmet Franchisor Bellso, Why is the Meal Prep / Meal Assembly Kitchen Franchise Failing? Part 1, Why is the Meal Prep / Meal Assembly Kitchen Franchise Failing? Part 2,Meal Prep Franchising; “…a fad industry that grew way too fast.”

Bob Niedt’s Retail Notebook entry on Syracuse.com mentions two Syracuse-area food franchise chains that are shrinking in number. However, that’s where the similarities between these two chains end. The tale of these two franchisors, Doug Clark of Doug’s Fish Fry and Michele Bellso of Make and Take Gourmet, seem to provide a valuable glimpse into two radically different approaches to franchising, and the inevitable outcome of each.

Doug Clark: The Reluctant Franchisor of Doug’s Fish Fry

An 11 year old CNY Business article recounts how Jim Damieder had to beg Doug Clark to sell him a franchise. In fact, Clark made the IBM salesman work his restaurant for a month at minimum wage before he’d even discuss the possibility. Once Damieder had proved himself and opened 3 Syracuse stores, Clark was still riding the brakes:

That is probably going to be it, though, Clark reports. “We now have busy restaurants in four places, but every time you open a new one, it cuts into the drawing power of the others a little bit. If we add too many, then it would hurt the ones that we have, and it would make it hard for the new ones to get off on the right foot,” Clark explains.

In recent years, Clark allowed Damieder to experiment with modernizing the menu. Recently, Doug Clark gave Jim Darnieder to split off, debrand and operate independently with his new direction, which includes experimenting with”grilled fish, a lobster macaroni-and-cheese, salads, and we eventually… some non-seafood items.” The Syracuse.com article states that Clark’s Doug’s Fish Fry will stick with the core concept that has proved successful for over nearly two decades:

“I get calls and offers all the time about franchises,” said Clark. “I have to wonder if Doug’s is really franchisable. Everything has to be fresh, with things like cream, not milk, in the clam chowder, and using butter, real butter. Not blends. I get advice from (wholesalers) all the time telling me I could cut costs by using butter blends, but I won’t do it. I won’t go cheaper. Our name and reputation is more important to me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Doug Clark has never been focused on selling franchises. His focus is on selling the best fried fish and hand-cut french fries as possible. Search the online reviews and you’ll see that he’s become a legend at doing just that, with patrons driving 60+ miles with money in hand.

Michele Bellso: Ready! Fire! Fail! Strategy of Make & Take Gourmet Franchise

Niedt’s Retail Notebook also tells the tale* of dramatically different franchise approach, one that seems to put franchise sales ahead of all else, including unit-level success:

The Make & Take Gourmet food-preparation store chain is losing another outlet. The franchise in Vestal is closing, according to the Make & Take Web site (makeandtakegourmet.com/vestal). That’s the third franchised unit announcing its closing in recent weeks. The other two were in Camillus and Baldwinsville. Michele Bellso founded Make & Take in Cicero in 2006. The company operates that store and one in Fayetteville. It lists 12 franchises on its Web site. It once had 16.

Previous Syracuse.com interviews with Bellso indicated that she began selling franchises for the unproven, untested Make & Take Gourmet before her prototype had even been open for a year… and before, in fact, she was authorized to legally offer franchises in the state of New York. (Read: Why the Meal Prep / Meal Assembly Kitchen Franchises are Failing. Part 3)

Previous FranchisePick.Com posts on the Bellso’s seemingly Take & Take attitude toward her franchisees point out her seemingly blase attitude toward the failures of the Clifton Park, Camillus, Baldwinsville and now Vestal franchises. (Read: Patrons of Failed Franchise Blast Make and Take Gourmet Franchisor Bellso)

Also troubling is the fact that the Designworks ad agency owned by Bellso and her husband sell the programs developed for Make & Take Gourmet to their franchisees’ potential competitors.

What’s the franchisor’s priority?

So if you’re considering a franchise organization, take a hard look at where the passion of the organization truly lies: in creating a winning concept in the marketplace, or creating a strong flow of franchise fees no matter how many casualties it takes.

* Tip provided by our own KaneGirl3

Photo source:  IdeaFarm

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POSTED IN: DOUG'S FISH FRY, MAKE & TAKE GOURMET