When a franchisor gets bought out by private equity, there is always a resounding cry of celebration by the franchisees,” said no one. On a popular franchise Facebook group, franchisees are often caught between optimism and unease. Recently, I read this post: “The new owners are sharp with numbers, but something about the brand’s soul […]
Private equity (PE) is no longer a peripheral player in franchising; it’s central. FRANdata estimates that more than 12.4% of active U.S. franchise brands (regardless of how long they’ve been franchising) now have some level of PE ownership or investment backing. That represents hundreds of brands, spanning nearly every sector of franchising. One notable trend […]
For decades, real estate pros could point to traffic counts, growth corridors, or anchor tenants and then predict a location’s success. But franchising is more complicated now. A site that’s perfect for one concept might doom another. Likewise, even the best brand-location match can fail in the hands of an underqualified operator. That’s why the […]
Produced by FRANdata in partnership with the International Franchise Association (IFA), the 2026 Franchising Economic Outlook projects continued growth across the U.S. franchise sector despite a challenging macroeconomic environment. The report forecasts that franchised businesses will total approximately 845,000 establishments, employ nearly 8.9 million workers, and generate more than $920 billion in economic output in […]
Attending this year’s FSTEC reinforced one thing: restaurant operators remain an optimistic bunch. Ever since COVID, there’s been a resilient hope that tomorrow will be better, and that mindset continues to fuel innovation across the industry. One of the most striking data points shared at the conference was the 40% increase in restaurant wages between […]