In a recent interview, Zoup!'s Director of Development & Real Estate, Richard Zimmer, discussed the company's unique franchise opportunity and explained how its thorough Franchise Development Process - including phone calls, webinars and in-person meetings - educates prospects and helps the company identify highly qualified candidates.
Q. What is unique about your franchise that results in satisfied, profitable franchisees? A. Zoup! Fresh Soup Company - the country's leading Fast-Casual soup restaurant concept - has been defining the category with its award-winning soups, salads and sandwiches, served in a casual, comfortable setting. Each Zoup! location offers 12 hand-crafted soup varieties each day, from its collection of hundreds of proprietary recipes.
Part of what makes the concept unique is a system that allows franchisees to focus on the "front of house" - customer service, store appearance and marketing. Simplified menu items require no cooking and little preparation.
At the same time, Zoup!'s offerings appeal to today's health-conscious, food-savvy customers who are looking for healthy alternatives to typical fast-food fare.
Q. How would you describe your ideal franchise candidate? A. The ideal Zoup! franchisee is a successful, motivated business manager who works well with systems and processes. An outgoing personality and passion for Zoup!'s culture and products also are key.
Q. Is a Zoup! franchise candidate required to have restaurant experience? A. No restaurant experience is required. We offer an extensive, three-week training program to teach franchisees everything they need to know to run a successful Zoup! store.
Q. How does Zoup!'s Franchise Qualification Process work, and how do prospective franchisees begin? A. The first thing a prospective franchisee should do is establish his or her personal and financial goals. From that point on, our leadership team leads candidates through our Franchise Qualification Process:
1. Candidate participates in a "Founders" webinar that explains the company's history, foundation and culture.
2. Candidate completes a request for consideration that includes geographic preference, business background information, desired timeline and financial position.
3. Candidate attends two webinars, one that covers marketing and training, and one that deals with real estate and build-out.
4. Candidate receives the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) to review and schedules a time to review it with a Zoup! representative.
5. Candidate makes validation calls to current and former franchisees.
6. A Zoup! representative reviews the business plan with the candidate.
7. Candidate visits headquarters for "Discovery Day."
8. Approval Committee discusses candidate's qualifications.
9. Candidate signs Franchise Agreement.
Q. Why is it necessary to have such an extensive qualification process? A. We feel that it is extremely important that we get to know a candidate - and that they get to know us - before we award them a franchise. We do our best to provide as much detail as possible so candidates can make an informed decision. At the same time, we have "systemized" the process to help us see if a candidate can follow a system, a skill that will be critical to his or her ultimate success.
Q. How should a candidate properly prepare for their conversations with you? A. We recommend that the candidate review his or her personal goals with close family members. The candidate also should have a clear understanding of his or her financial resources and needs.
Throughout the process, the candidate should carefully review the documents we provide and, at the appropriate time, be sure to make validation calls to current franchisees. The candidate should wait to make a decision until after he or she has received, reviewed and processed all the information, and has had all questions answered.
Q. How often do you turn down a candidate? What are the reasons? A. During the initial phone call, we find that more than half of the candidates are not a good fit. The most common reasons are failure to meet financial requirements, interest in a territory that is either unavailable or inappropriate and personal goals that are not compatible with the business model.
Of those who continue, most make it through the whole process. As a candidate approaches the "Discovery Day" step, the Zoup! franchise development team discusses candidates that may not be a good fit. If we are unsure about a candidate, we extend the invitation to "Discovery Day" so we can meet them. This clarifies whether our initial impressions are right or wrong.
Still, we turn down about 10 percent of candidates after "Discovery Day" because they are not a good fit.
Q. Describe the benefits you and your franchisees have experienced from your qualification process. A. We recognize that Zoup! needs great people to help it grow. Our process is set up to create a consistent, open and honest flow of information so that our leadership team and candidates can feel completely comfortable with their decisions to work together.
About Zoup!
Founded in 1998, Zoup! is the leading fast-casual soup concept restaurant that is defining the category with its premium and proprietary soups and other recipes. A dining experience that features 12 always-rotating soup varieties each day in an environment that focuses on comfort, satisfaction and convenience, Zoup! has grown its network of franchises to 25 restaurants throughout Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut.
