Reminder: Anyone who owns something, can sell it. This is especially true when it comes to franchised brands.
Take Qdoba as a great example of this. Qdoba is a USA-Canada based franchise that offers Mexican cuisine in a casual setting. It’s also a brand that isn’t doing very well right now and its fate is being weighed by Qdoba’s parent company: Jack in the Box. Qdoba has been owned by the parent company for 14 years.
Now, to be fair, Jack in the Box is another quick-serve restaurant brand that isn’t doing so well, either. Both brands are in trouble, but Qdoba is declining at a faster rate and, as a result, Jack in the Box leadership is considering selling the worse-off franchise to an appropriate buyer.
This potential sale is understandable as the cash generated from the sale would really help Jack in the Box get back on its feet. But the prospect of new ownership isn’t sitting so well with Qdoba franchisees.
Many Qdoba franchisees are in fear of what may happen after a potential sale goes through. Will franchise fees be raised? Will national and regional marketing budgets be slashed?
Qdoba Franchisees Form Their Own Association
To prepare for a possible sale, Qdoba owners have banded together and formed an advocacy group: the Qdoba Franchisee Association (QFA). The independent organization represents the franchisees that own and operate 340 of the system’s 717 total restaurants in the U.S. and Canada.
The association’s goal is to give the family of owners a unified voice and some self-sufficiency to rely less on Jack in the Box administration – which could possibly save the parent company some money and eliminate a potential sale…or, at the very least, delay the sale which would give owners time to decide whether they should abandon their franchise or take some other course of action.
QFA Is an Asset to Franchisees Regardless of Sale
Regardless, this kind of banding-together will solidify the brand if it is sold. Any new ownership would have to be very careful how it proceeds with such a unified group of owners pushing their own agenda. It would take some very intense co-operation between the new owners and the QFA to make things work.
This strategy will likely make Jack in the Box think twice before selling and definitely make them think about how they will move forward with a unified group of franchisees. For the franchisees, it will only help them in any situation. If a region needs help with best-practices or strategy, the QFA is there to help. If the parent company is considering new locations that overlap existing franchisee territory, the QFA can be a voice for the existing location(s).
This isn’t the first time a group of franchisees has banded together to overcome turmoil from head office. It’s a great strategy for owners to be self-sufficient and have a unified voice when dealing with the brand.
