Top Restaurants Receive Franchisee Satisfaction Awards

by Cynthia Adams

Over 20 national restaurants have high franchisee satisfaction and win 2008 Franchisee Satisfaction Award presented by Franchise Business Review

Kittery, ME (March 20, 2008) – The restaurant business is not easy, but franchise owners of 21 top national restaurant franchises clearly are satisfied and their satisfaction levels drove their restaurants to the top to receive the 2008 Franchisee Satisfaction Awards presented by Franchise Business Review.

“In an industry where long hours, low margins and the occasional grease on your shoes are the norm, keeping franchisees satisfied is a challenging task – but these 21 restaurants and food-related businesses have made franchisee satisfaction a priority and it shows in their winning of our 2008 Franchisee Satisfaction Award,” says Eric Stites, President of Franchise Business Review. “There are many food service and restaurant franchise opportunities today. A potential franchisee candidate looking for the right fit must cover a lot of ground. One key factor in narrowing that search is franchisee satisfaction.”

“We were pleased, but not surprised, with the positive feedback we received from our franchisees in the recent Franchise Business Review Survey,” said Steve Carley, President and CEO of El Pollo Loco, Inc. “With the continued growth of our franchise system, franchisee support and satisfaction remain a top priority. Through their survey, Franchise Business Review has given us greater insight into the areas where we excel and those areas where we can improve. Such information is vital. As consumers continue to embrace our brand in new markets across the nation, we can keep on growing, but it is building and maintaining solid relationships with our franchisees that fuels our collective success.”

El Pollo Loco was one of the many restaurants who received this year’s Franchise Satisfaction Award from Franchise Business Review. The list of winners also includes Nathan’s Famous, Bruegger’s, CiCi’s Pizza, Rita’s Water Ice, McAlister’s Deli and Uno Chicago Grill. A complete roster of all food service and restaurant award winners is listed at http://www.fbr50.com/category/Food

To measure franchisee satisfaction, Franchise Business Review surveyed franchisees from 325 franchise companies from all types of industries, representing 45,000 franchisees. Franchises were evaluated in five areas: Training & Support, Franchise System, Franchisor/Franchisee Relations, Financial Opportunity and Overall Satisfaction. Franchisees were asked a series of questions in these areas and then rated their franchisor on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). All franchisees from each participating franchise company were invited to take the survey. The average rate of participation was 50%, with some franchise companies achieving as high as 100% participation from their franchise owners.

Franchise companies utilize this information to establish best practices within their organizations, gauge the growth potential of existing franchisees and educate potential candidates about the investment opportunity.

Franchise Business Review has published the 2008 Franchisee Satisfaction Awards results at http://www.FBR50.com. Awards were given to the top franchise companies with the highest levels of franchisee satisfaction.

About Franchise Business Review
Franchise Business Review is a national franchise market research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction and franchise buyer experiences. The firm’s services include commissioned franchise research projects leveraging proprietary survey processes and software, as well as industry-wide studies of franchisee satisfaction open to all North American franchise companies. Franchise Business Review is headquartered in Kittery, Maine and can be reached at 866-397-6680 or by visiting their company websites at www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com or www.FBR50.com