Hamburgers are a staple in American history, with almost everyone having a memory of eating one. If we ask our grandparents and great-grandparents about their experience with this delightful, yet simplistically assembled culinary icon I bet they would say "hamburgers have been around for as long as I can remember". The actual concept of what we know today as the hamburger was born in a time when people needed to eat both "fast" and "cheap". In the early to mid-years of the 20th century factory and industrial workers would seek affordable, fast food, emerging the conception of fast food restaurants.
Nowadays, great hamburger restaurants can be found all over the world! With one of those being Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers, born and headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The concept was thought of by President and Founder, Brent Skaggs. He wanted to fill the need of a great burger joint based on the shortcomings and lack of options that already existed. Shortly after coming into the fast casual franchise market in 2012, Freakin' was named one the "Top New Burger Joints" in North America by BurgerBusiness.com.
Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers offers more than a dozen specialty, chef-inspired burgers with 44 gourmet BYOB (Build Your Own Burger) toppings. Along with their unique customizations, Freakin' also grounds their own beef in order to give it the most flavor. Each burger served is made to order using only the top 8% of the beef cut, better known as certified angus beef. And ofcourse, for those that don't eat beef, Freakin' offers an alternative burger made with turkey, all-natural grilled chicken, salmon or their housemade black bean veggie burger. Also included in their menu are hand battered chicken tenders, unique sides, salads, a large selection of craft beer, wine, frozen drinks and frozen custard.
How does Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers train their franchisees?
A new franchisee will start out with a six week, highly detailed pre-opening training program in Michigan. Here, the key operator and manager of the new location will learn everything they will need to know in order to run a successful Freakin' Unbelievable Burger franchise. Brent Skaggs comments, "We touch on all aspects of the operation during training. From how to mop a floor to how to cook an unbelievable burger."
"We go through the shift running and the business side of things. We want to teach our franchisees how to run a profitable business." Skaggs and his team have developed systems that enable franchisees to track and improve profitability. Some of these systems include software that schedules according to historical sales data, sales and labor reporting, monitoring of most profitable menu items, and food inventory software. "A big portion of training is focused on how to conduct inventory. We know that in order to be profitable, you have to focus on more than just the service and product."
After training is complete, and the store is ready to be prepped for opening, Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers sends out their Freakin' Opening Training Team to help support the grand opening. They are typically there for a couple weeks to help make sure the opening runs smoothly. Full support is offered before, during and after the opening of every new restaurant. Each location receives a designated consultant that will work with them to improve operations as well as profitability.
Freakin' has programs in place to ensure adequate support is provided throughout each franchisee's career. Skaggs explains, "We have a program where the franchisee can develop their people, hourly and hourly managers. It's an abbreviated program of what they went through during their six week training period." Freakin' believes that a well trained and highly-informed team is the perfect recipe for a successful Freakin' Unbelievable Burger Restaurant.
Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers was established in 2012 and has been franchising ever since. There are currently hold on their roster three locations, two in Michigan and one in Lexington, Kentucky. The franchise fee is $40,000, with an estimated initial investment of $373,850 to $879,000.
For more information on Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers visit freakinburger.com.
About Franchise Training series
As part of our own expansion and growth, we’re excited to launch our newest series, Franchise Training. This series will encompass a wide variety of franchise topics designed to help franchisors and potential franchisees gain knowledge of business practices.
Latitude is confident that you will find great value in its content in the Connection Newsletter and hopes that it will aid you in your own goals to grow and thrive.
Subscribe To Latitude's Connection Newsletter
|