John ButtolphMore Info
For more information about Mrs. Winner’s and its franchise opportunities, visit www.lovemrswinners.com
Franchise Opportunities
Mrs. Winner’s offers three different types of franchise agreements:• Single Store: Each store is entitled to a protection area of at least 2 miles. In urban areas, Mrs. Winner’s reserves the right to open other stores, but in an effort to maximize sales for each store, the brand will not likely group stores closer than a two mile radius.• Multi-unit: If a franchisee would like to open more than one store, the franchisee selects locations and asks Mrs. Winner’s corporate for approval. Once approved, corporate upholds the 2-mile protection area at its discretion.• Market Development: Through this partnership, a franchisee signs a contract to open a minimum number of stores for an entire geographical area. Once the minimum store number is met, the franchisee has the right to add additional locations as he or she sees fit.
Despite its name, Mrs. Winner's Chicken & Biscuits wound up as a business loser in its first incarnation.
The fast-food chain that was founded in 1979 surged to 184 restaurants throughout the Southeast, including in Chattanooga, and touted its "authentic Southern fried chicken, made-from-scratch biscuits and hot-frosted cinnamon swirls."
But in 2010, Mrs. Winner's closed its company-owned stores and filed for bankruptcy. Only 12 Mrs. Winner's restaurants remain in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
But the chain's new president, John Buttolph, thinks Mrs. Winner's can live up to its moniker.
"Practically every day, I hear from people who want Mrs. Winner's back in their communities," said Buttolph, who first because involved with Mrs. Winner's in 2009 as the brand's corporate attorney and in 2012 bought the rights to the company. "Our new executive team has made the necessary changes in the Mrs. Winner's business model to re-establish the franchising platform and secure a solid infrastructure to support and grow the brand to its full potential."
Mrs. Winner's has signed two franchise deals set to bring six new restaurants to the Atlanta market, one of which debuts this month. Within the next five years, Mrs. Winner's hopes to add 100 new restaurants throughout its "southeastern core markets."
The sole remaining corporate-owned Mrs. Winner's, in Cleveland, Tenn., at 2487 Keith St. NW, could play a role in the brand's revival here.
"This corporate restaurant is primed to support the development of franchisees throughout the Chattanooga and the greater Tennessee area as a training center, in addition to a restaurant," Buttolph said.
The Cleveland Mrs. Winner's opened in October 2014. Previously, it was Umphy's Chicken & Biscuits. People in Cleveland like it for its biscuits and sweet tea, said Kristy Montgomery, who works down the street at the office of the Cleveland-Bradley Chamber of Commerce.
Mrs. Winner's plans for its expansion to be fueled primarily through franchise agreements, he said, with exception of Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala., and Nashville and Memphis, which will have corporate restaurants.
"The Chattanooga area will grow mainly through franchise locations," Buttolph said.
Mrs. Winner's also seeks qualified franchise partners in metropolitan Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham and other territories throughout northern Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and Virginia.
Franchised Mrs. Winner's locations are available through property conversions or new construction. The total investment to become a Mrs. Winner's franchisee ranges from $200,000 to $500,000.
Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu @timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/MeetsForBusiness or twitter.com/meetforbusiness or 423-757-6651.