july2017

78 79 benefits of investing in a franchise brand like Old Chicago Pizza and Tap Room is we have the sys- tems already in place for a successful restaurateur to come in who knows about the business–how to manage food costs; how to hire the right peo- ple; how to select the right real estate.We help the franchisee through all those processes with our great system. In 2016 and 2017,we’ve signed 25 new development units with five different franchisees. Several of those were existing fran- chisees within our business, and several were new ones, as well.” Going forward, Belanger says that CraftWorks’ long-term vision is to see an Old Chicago Pizza and Tap Room in everymajor market in the U.S. that currently they’re not in.“We’re not in the northeast yet; we’re not in California; we’re not in the Washington market,”Belanger opines.“We are growing in the sunbelt markets–the southwest, Texas, and the southeast. I’d like to see our brand continue to grow in the Midwest, as well,where we have a nice strong presence.” Regardless of how successful the Old Chica- go concept has been, still is, and will, no doubt, continue to be, Belanger knows that continued execution is the key.“You’ve got to execute,”he says.“If you have a really cool concept, but you don’t execute well, your guests don’t feel value in what they’re getting.We stand for great food that’s distinctive; we’re passionate about everything we do when it comes to beer and food; and we focus on being part of the community and sharing great local and regional beers.We’re as relevant, to- day, as we were 41 years ago-but we’re going to continue to never be satisfied with our quality and our consistency.” OLD CHICAGO PIZZA AND TAP ROOM nization is actually the largest onsite brewing restau- rant concept in the country.” Of all the CraftWorks brands,Old Chicago is currently the only one that is being actively fran- chised. Belanger explains the vetting process: “Ideally,what we’re looking for is someone who has experience in the restaurant business, already, and who has managed and run multiple locations. Because of our cost of entry and investment,we’re looking for someone who can develop between three and five restaurants.Most of our franchi- sees are multi-unit operators that not only have multiple units with us, but also have other brands within their portfolio.We tend to find that the can- didate that works best for our brand is somebody that maybe doesn’t have a pizza concept in their portfolio or a craft beer concept and wants to get into the craft beer craze without having to operate a brewery. “What makes us different from a franchising perspective is the 41 years of our operating mod- el.We’ve got this thing figured out.And so, the Multiple Ventures 970-301-5763 l NEWAND USED EQUIPMENT l DESIGN AND LAYOUT SERVICE l FURNITURE l HOOD SYSTEMS l REFRIGERATION l BAR l STAINLESS STEEL l POS SYSTEMS www.multipleventuresllc.com Custom Booths andTables by PREFERRED VENDORS n Multiple Ventures LLC www.multipleventuresllc.com Incorporated in 2005, in Eaton, CO, Multiple Ven- tures is a source for hospitality equipment and technology, including new and used equipment, design and layout service, furniture, hood systems, refrigeration, and point of sale systems. n Performance Food Group www.pfgc.com