Taco
and Chicken franchises
Minority
Matters
Major
Issues in Minority Franchising
Church’s
Looks North
Church’s Chicken,
an Atlanta-based fried-chicken franchise,
is looking to break into the Baltimore
fast-food market and it would like an
Hispanic franchise partner to make it
happen. The company’s recent market
research has discovered that more than
one third of Church’s
customers are of Hispanic descent. With
an eye on its expansion plans, it made
sense for Church’s
to look for franchisees who reflect the
demographics of its customers. As it makes
the move into Baltimore, Church’s
is soliciting help from the Baltimore
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “They
recognize that a third of their clientele
is Hispanic and they've taken it upon
themselves to bring the percentage of
franchise owners in line with that,”
said Roberto N. Allen, president of the
Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Church’s Chicken
is a division of AFC Enterprises.
The
Real Deal
What’s more authentic than home-style
Mexican food from a Mexican family? Not
much. At El Taco Tote Real Mexican
Grill the emphasis is on “Real
Mexican.” The family-run business,
founded 14 years ago in Juarez, Mexico,
transitioned into a contemporary franchise
system in the United States without sacrificing
the integrity of its recipes and authenticity
of its offerings. It’s that commitment
to the Mexican culture and traditional
foods and ingredients that has made El
Taco Tote a hit in both the Anglo-American
and Hispanic-American markets. The Heras
family still runs the company and oversees
communications and training with all of
the company’s franchisees. There
are currently four El Taco
Tote locations in El
Paso and Laredo, Texas and another nine
locations are under development in Illinois,
Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. With a
goal of achieving “market dominance”
as the Real Mexican Food of choice in
the U.S., there is plenty of room for
franchisees to open locations in major
markets throughout America.
Spicy
on the Inside
Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits
has spiced up both its menu offerings and
its décor. The whole look of the
chicken franchise reflects the spicy and
eclectic items on its menu which include
greens, red beans and rice alongside Cajun
chicken and tangy Jambalaya. The company’s
new "Heritage" look and updated
menu offerings were designed to reflect
Popeye’s Louisiana
roots and provide an outlet for the growing
Cajun food market. All of Popeye’s
1,000-plus franchises and any new
locations will reflect the unique flair
of New Orleans’s French Quarter. Zydeco
and jazz will be piped through the restaurants
and Big Easy-inspired murals will be highlighted
inside and out. Popeye’s,
like Church’s Chicken
and Cinnabon, is a division
of AFC Enterprises, a company
committed to diversity in its franchise
partners. More than 50 percent of AFC’s
franchises are owned and operated by women
and minorities. More than a third of the
company’s senior managers and members
of the Board of Directors are also women
and minorities. AFC’s
diversity initiative, called the New Age
of Opportunity, encourages all franchisees
to develop strong relationships with minority
and women-owned suppliers, printers, constructions
companies and banks.
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