Don Boroian Quoted in Business Week

Don Boroian is quoted in this article posted in Business Week on the Three Stages of Franchising.
Business Week
APRIL 13, 2005
BUILDING FRANCHISES
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/apr2005/sb20050413_4979_sb042.htm

Three Stages of Franchising
What's it like to be just starting out, or to be achieving success, or to be trying to maintain it? Take a look

For entrepreneurs who have found success, turning their business into a franchise system can be tempting. For those eager to keep growing -- and fast -- the franchise model promises the potential of rapid, national expansion without much risk. But building a successful franchise company means more than just handing over the keys and waiting for the royalties to roll in. Challenges wait at every stage, from creating the right template and training programs at the outset, to continuing revenue growth even after reaching sales territories across the country.

Here are looks at three franchises at three very different crossroads -- Cool Daddy's, PostNet, and American Leak Detection -- to see where they've been, where they plan to go, and what they've learned along the way.

Bringing Up Cool Daddy's

Sean Dacey wasn't your average bar worker. Not long after graduating from Georgia Tech, he began working at Fat Tuesday, a chain of New Orleans-based frozen-drink bars, and climbed the ranks quickly. In 1990, when the company decided to start selling margaritas, piña coladas, and the like at concerts and festivals, it picked Dacey to head the project. An engineer by education, Dacey found he had a special knack for the logistics required to churn out 2,000 frozen concoctions an hour in 100-degree weather.

In 2000, after 10 years of managing Fat Tuesday's off-site division, Dacey left to create Cool Daddy's, a company that rents and sets up frozen-drink machines for private parties as well as bigger concerts and festivals. And now that he and his wife, Cheryl (who serves as president), are working some of Atlanta's biggest events for companies including Home Depot (HD ) and Turner South, they want to expand into new territory. How? The couple decided the best way would be to franchise.

Franchising fit their needs because it would allow them to keep focused on their main territory, greater Atlanta, and let others tackle new areas. Having lived in the region for so long, the Daceys attribute much of their success -- some 50% to 60% average revenue growth each year -- to contacts they've developed over the years. And the theory is that the brand can grow in other cities at the same clip where franchisees have similar local footholds.

But starting out, they're planning for two major challenges. First, they need to figure out a way to teach franchisees the business quickly and easily. To solve that, the Daceys decided that the new franchises will focus on private parties and skip selling at the more complex concert/festival level. They plan to charge a $25,000 franchise fee, 6% royalties on revenue, and 1% advertising rate.

Being completely new to franchising, however, they also need to learn how to pick the right franchisees. Too often, entrepreneurs select franchisees who are too much like themselves, says Don Boroian, CEO of Francorp, a company in Olympia Fields, Ill., that helps develop young franchises. "A good franchisee isn't an entrepreneur," Boroian says. By nature, he says, entrepreneurs tend to follow their own rules and try to make their own solutions without the rest of the company.

While the Daceys expect to clear the final legal hurdles this month and officially launch their franchising program, they'll continue to rely on their primary business and take growth slowly, at least for now. While many franchising companies roll out dozens of outlets from the start, the couple only plan to add betwee 5 and 10 franchise operations by yearend. Says Sean: "We want to work out the kinks of the process, build a strong system, and only then, open the flood gates."

PostNet: Running with the Giants

The flood gates are already open for PostNet, a chain of mailbox, printing, and office-supply stores based in Henderson, Nev. When Steve Greenbaum and Brian Spindel started PostNet in 1983, they found success as one of the few packaging and shipping stores around. Now, the market is cluttered with big names like FedEx Kinko's (FDX ) and UPS Store (UPS ).

Though PostNet wanted to stay closely held and avoid taking on debt, it saw it needed to grow fast to keep pace with the bigger names and stay relevant. "Our desire to grow is not a financial desire right now," says Greenbaum, PostNet's CEO. "We need it to create and keep awareness of our brand."

While franchising aggressively wouldn't ensure the profit levels organic growth might, it has enabled PostNet to grow much faster. It began franchising in 1993 and has continued to add more stores since. It opened 93 outlets in 2004, and is on track to add 120 locations this year, bringing the nationwide total to more than 600, concentrated mostly in the West.

Greenbaum feels if PostNet, an outfit with only 30 employees at its headquarters involved in finance and organization, weren't a franchise company it would have been impossible for it to achieve such growth. Unlike Francorp's Boroian, Greenbaum believes franchisees can -- and should -- be entrepreneurial. PostNet, he says, is attractive because franchisees can feel like entrepreneurs, whereas the owner of, say, a UPS Store may feel more like the employee of a behemoth company.

"Most employees don't have a majority of their life-savings invested in their job," Greenbaum says. PostNet charges a competitive $29,500 franchise fee and a royalty rate of 4% of revenue (plus a 2% advertising contribution) -- a point below the 5% that many companies charge.

A successful franchising push is very much an exercise in branding, and going head-to-head with operations like the UPS Store, which presides over several thousand locations, spurs the need to differentiate. PostNet recently redesigned its stores to distance itself from the "linear, monotone" look of its major competitors. Departments are arranged with big multicolor signs designed to mimic the navigation of a Web site -- big categories listed in large font, with specifics explained underneath. Shoppers are greeted with upbeat music that Greenbaum says "gives the feel of trendy retail stores."

Given the tough competition, Greenbaum and Spindel have broadened PostNet's offerings to include office supplies and an Internet-enabled data center, along with the typical copying and packaging. And in January, it used its increasing clout to sign a partnership with shipping service DHL -- another fast-growing company nipping at the heels of the big boys.

How ALD Maintains Its Edge

Those who run American Leak Detection, a franchise that has been around since 1974, think it has grown enough in the U.S. -- at least geographically. Based in Palm Springs, Calif., ALD, which supplies its franchisees with proprietary technology for detecting and fixing leaks in pools and pipe systems, has a franchise in every major U.S. market. Founder and CEO Richard Rennick decided he would rather keep his existing franchisees happy -- and profitable -- than encroach on their operating territories by adding new franchises.

Supporting the existing 144 franchisees, which are responsible for specific territories, has been a key to ALD's success, says Sheila Bangs, director of franchise sales. Don Boroian of Francorp agrees. "American Leak Detection is a model company," he says. Too often franchisors run their companies like a feudal lord, he says, when a collegial approach is much more effective.

Nobody knows the strengths and weaknesses of a system like the franchisees, and it's important to use that feedback. ALD, Boroian says, "has a CEO who wants everyone to win, and he has bent over backwards to listen to his franchise owners and be responsive."

In addition to respecting each existing franchisee's territory, ALD hosts training and refresher courses for new hires throughout the year, as well as an annual intracompany convention to take suggestions from franchise owners, collaborate about the future, and just plain relax.

Even though ALD isn't adding many new U.S. franchises doesn't mean it isn't on the move. It's still expanding internationally, with close to 30 franchises in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and other countries. Domestically, ALD is finding growth by treating its corporate headquarters as a research and development lab for the franchisees with the aim of helping them stay ahead of the competition with new technology.

Soon ALD will also roll out a retail leak detector that consumers can buy and install in a pool by themselves. Will it undercut the franchise-owners? Hardly. The model will have ALD's 800-number printed on the front. So when a leak is detected, the customer will call a ALD franchisee to come fix it.

Tomorrow: Tips on starting your own franchise.

Friday: An inside look at Two Men and a Truck, the nation's largest franchised moving company.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Burt Helm in New York
Edited by Rod Kurtz

Don Boroian Article

April 21, 2005

A Franchise is a Franchise is a Franchise
Posted by Don Boroian at 1:47 PM

Franchising is more than chains like McDonald's. Sometimes, it's an expansion strategy, a license, a partnership, or a joint venture.
Let's play a word association game. When I say "franchise," you think ___________.
Many of you are saying "McDonald's." Certainly, McDonald's is the model for franchising's success in America. When you hear the word "franchise", many of you think of restaurants, and while it is true that the food service industry makes up a large portion of the franchise marketplace, franchising has made its way into nearly every sector of the economy. As a business model, franchising has extended into over 70 different industries. Currently, according to a recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers's study on the impact of franchising, franchising accounts for 14% of private sector employment in the United States. Why then is franchising so confusing when it accounts for such a large part of the U.S. economy?
At several points during my career as a franchise consultant and also helping businesses explore expansion, I have had entrepreneurs come to me looking to find a way not to franchise by calling their expansion strategy something else, a license, a partnership, or a joint venture. For these entrepreneurs, it is often just a misunderstanding of what franchising is that leads to the confusion. They see it perhaps as being a negative, and feel that franchising is only for certain kinds of businesses. Sometimes, the requirements of being a franchisor appear from the outside to be too cumbersome. In reality, it is usually easier legally to be a franchisor than to latch onto a business opportunity where each state would require different legal documents. I often have to tell these business owners that the fact of the matter is that, if three specific conditions exist, it doesn't matter what you call it; it's a franchise.
The franchising business model in a nutshell:
Franchising is a method of business expansion whereby a business owner allows someone to market products or services under their name and trademark and in strict adherence to a system he/she prescribes. In return, the franchisee, as that person (or organization) is called, pays a fee and, usually, an ongoing royalty. Moreover, the franchisee pays all of the costs of getting into his or her own business.
There are three basic elements to being a franchise.
1. The Name - You allow someone the use of your name or trademark. 2. The System - You require them to operate their business, using your prescribed system. 3. Payment of a Fee - In return for the use of the name and system of operation, they pay you a fee or royalty. By having these three elements items in place makes your business a franchise, and you are then required to follow the federal guidelines of having a Uniform Franchise Offering Circular.
A licensing arrangement is typically where you allow someone the use of your name for a payment of a fee.
A business opportunity is when you give someone a system of operation for the payment of a fee.
In these three elements, you have a very powerful combination. As a person looking into starting a business, owning a franchise gives you an established name, a proven system of operation, and a coach or mentor who as the franchisor is tied to your success. This gives you a huge advantage over starting a business from scratch. As a business looking to expand, franchising provides you with capital for expansion through the franchise buyers, motivated managers who have a vested interest in the success of your operations, as they have invested their capital into them. It is easy to see why so many companies have used franchise expansion to grow.
Just because your expansion program is a franchise, doesn't mean that you have to call it a franchise, as long as you comply with all of the franchise laws and regulations. We have had clients at Francorp who, for marketing reasons, may refer to their business relationships as a License. For example, we have clients offering franchises to the medical community. We feel that doctors may not be receptive to owning a franchise; so we refer to it as a License program but still follow all of the requirements of franchising, such as the legal documents and selling requirements. This enables the company to expand with the controls needed that a franchise program provides, while still keeping medical professionals (whose visions of a franchise involve flipping burgers) happy that they are Licensees or member partners of the program.
It's these three key elements (name, system, and fee) that make franchising so successful, as it makes everyone more involved in the success of the organization. It is the epitome of a "win-win situation."

Francorp - Expert Witness Work

Franchisee Battles Quiznos Over Location PolicyBy: Daniel Del'RePublished September 2, 2005September 2, 2005

--Franchisees of sandwich chain Quiznos are fighting what they say are policies that allow the Denver, Colorado company to open too many franchises in a single market, leading to cannibalization of revenues.On Aug. 26, a Los Angeles County judge told Quiznos it could not shut down a Long Beach, Calif. chain and ordered Quiznos into arbitration with Bhupineer "Bob" Baber and his wife Ratty Baber, who claimed that new stores in their area siphoned customers from their two Long Beach franchises.

If the Babers win that round, Quiznos may not be able to open new stores in cases where sales are likely to cut into the business of existing franchises."There is an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing that says you don't dump competition on top of your existing franchisees," said Fred Pardes, attorney for the Babers.Quiznos' franchise agreements do not restrict the company from opening franchises within the proximity of existing locations.But Don Boroian, a franchise consultant with Francorp, said franchisers like Quiznos have an obligation to prevent locations from encroaching on each other's territory.Boroian is serving as an expert witness in a separate lawsuit against Quiznos in which the plaintiff, Royce Gwin, is arguing that he was denied commissions for selling franchises.

In 2004, Quiznos opened two franchises less than two miles from the Babers' Quiznos. Pardes said that within months, the Babers' revenue fell by one third and blamed it on the new competition.The Babers founded a not-for-profit last December to organize Quiznos franchisees with similar grievances. One month later, Quiznos revoked the Babers' franchise on the grounds of health code violations. The City of Long Beach said the chain passed all health code inspections.But the closure prompted the Babers to sue Quiznos.Quiznos would not comment on the allegations or the suit."We are moving forward with arbitration in California," wrote a Quiznos spokesperson in an e-mail. " We're not going to comment further regarding ongoing litigation."

Francorp Clients - Body and Sole

Failure did not stop Cebu’s spa prince

When he first went into business, he was not successful. He went back to employment but continued to dreamed of owning a successful business one day.

After he finished his accountancy degree from the Silliman University, Johnie Lim worked in various local and multinational companies engaged in shipping, the manufacture of furniture and toys and pharmaceuticals.

“When I first set foot in Cebu, I never imagined that one day I will become a business owner and be considered as having propelled and fast tracked the birth of the spa industry, at least here in Cebu,” he says.


Johnie Lim speaker at Health and Wellness Conference
Johnie Lim is the president of SWAC ( Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu) and also CEO of Body and Sole Franchise Corporation, a network of more than 30 branches of spas nationwide. He will be a speaker at the Health and Wellness Conference at the Waterfront Hotel from June 21 to 23.

JOHNIE C. LIM is married to Ms. Flor Lim with whom he has three daughters. Mr. Johnie C. Lim finished his accountancy degree from Siliman University in Dumaguete City in 1980. He worked as manager in various local and multi-national companies to include shipping, furniture, toys and pharmaceuticals. He dabbled in column-writing for some local and international newspapers and magazines. HE became a media head for religious organization (Alay sa Diyos Community) and edited its 10th university publication. He is the president of the SWAC (Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu, Inc.) and sits as CEO of Body and Sole Franchise Corporation.

BODY AND SOLE Body Massage and Foot Spa is a DTI-registered enterprise whose mission is to provide health and wellness services to the general public at prices within everybody’s reach. Its main office is located at Suite 139-B Ground Floor of Raintree Mall along F. Ramos Street, Cebu City. The first branch of Body and Sole opened in May 15, 2003 in a 50-square meter space at Raintree Mall along F. Ramos Street, Cebu City offering 3 basic services – body massage, facial and foot spa. Five months later, the company went into franchising.

Today, Body and Sole now counts 30 branches and affiliates nationwide with 17 outlets in Cebu and 13 outside to include branches in Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete City, Tagbilaran City, Bacolod City, Masbate City, Cavite City, Lucena City, Mandaue City, Lapu-lapu City, Butuan City, Tacloban City, Zamboanga City, Calbayog City and Valencia, Bukidnon. Combined workforce is about 500 employees. From three (3) basic services, it has now seven (7) signature services to include body scrub, foot relax, facial with laser and its own version of Diamond Peel. Five (5) of these branches are company-owned.

Body and Sole continues to explore ventures with deserving entrepreneurs through franchising. Its latest addition is soon-to-open branches in Davao City and Angeles City in Pampanga. The company envisions an outlet in every major city nationwide using its market positioning as the fasfood of quality spa services that’s affordable and highly personalized. It plans to introduce within this year into reconstruction of OPM (Original Pilipino Massage) traditionally called hilot in order to promote the country to the international spa community.

Body and Sole’s core concept— total relaxation at half the cost!— has earned for the company a loyal clientele following that is hard to match in the spa industry. Body and Sole’s core concept— total relaxation at half the cost!— has earned for the company a loyal clientele following that is hard to match in the spa industry. Visit their website at www.bodyandsolephilippines.com .

Francorp Dubai - Midas

Midas Furniture Teams-Up with Francorp to Develop Its Franchise

Kuwait, Kuwait, October 17, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Midas Furniture has signed an agreement with the American company Francorp through its Middle East regional office in Dubai. According to the agreement, Francorp will design a special program to develop a franchise system for Midas, who plans to expand regionally and globally through franchising, or what is known as brand sale and franchising rights.

Through this ambitious program, Midas Furniture plans to develop and prepare itself for regional and global expansion and open new branches to compete with multinational companies specialized in the furniture industry. This step is taken after Midas’s successful 15-year experience in the Kuwaiti market, where it has secured a considerable market share, acquired customer satisfaction for its quality products and services. The company is known in Kuwait by offering affordable, high-quality furniture and accessories which appeal to all tastes making it one of Kuwait’s largest home and office furniture retailers.

The agreement was signed between Khaldoon Al Khammach, President of Midas, and Imad Charafeddine, Regional Business Development Manager at Francorp Middle East.

“Our massive success in Kuwait and Jordan represents a platform for us to move forward,” said Khaldoon. “We are planning to cross borders towards regional markets as a preliminary step to expand to international markets. We intend to position ourselves over the coming years as a leading brand in the region.”

“We, at Francorp, are very delighted to see franchises expand in the region,” commented Imad Charafeddine., Regional Business Development Manager at Francorp Middle East. “Franchising is becoming a necessity for many local businesses aiming at achieving more business successes. It is observed that the awareness of the importance of franchising is increasing day by day. Successful local businesses started to realize its great benefits and the positive impact it has on their business development. Franchise is one of the most effective options which takes ambitious companies to new destinations and accelerate their expansion within the global markets, especially from emerging markets such as the Middle East.”

“We are also pleased to add Midas Furniture to our premier client list and to offer them our consultancy for their expansion program. This is also due to their remarkable success as industry leaders in the Kuwaiti market, and now it is the opportunity to duplicate their local success at both regional and global levels. It is our commitment now to use our long experience to offer a comprehensive franchising program to Midas Furniture,” added Imad Charafeddine.

“We have teamed-up with the US-based Francorp, the leader in franchise development and consultation, because of their vast experience that goes back to 30 years and their track record in the sale of franchise rights and development programs along with their experience in this region,” concluded Khaldoon.

Francorp opened their office in Dubai and started their regional operation by offering professional commercial services throughout the Middle East and North Africa. With their extensive experience, outstanding achievements and high quality services, Francorp became one of the largest leading international companies in franchise development and consultancy.

###


Contact Information
Francorp Middle East
Alda Solamia
+97143297675
pr@francorp.ae
www.francorp.ae

Francorp Client News - Hurricane Wings

News

Hurricane Holding spreads its wings

Miami Herald
Hurricane Holdings spreads its wings through franchise plan
BY EVE SAMPLES

STUART - On Easter Sunday 11 years ago, Chris Russo spotted an advertisement for a tiny nook of restaurant space just landward of the sand dunes on South Beach in Fort Pierce.

The ad pitched the home of the defunct Mr. Wobinson's Wibs as a ''concession stand,'' but when Russo toured the structure's 980 square feet, he saw more than that: For the amateur cook, it was a foot in the door of the competitive restaurant business.

The then-22-year-old swiftly took over the lease, hoisted a sign that read Chris' Hurricane Grill and tacked up a sparse assortment of storm memorabilia.

His menu's most popular items were a distinctly American combination -- chicken wings and cold beer.

Today, the original restaurant remains, but its parent company has expanded well beyond its confines.

Hurricane Brand Holdings, based in Stuart, aims to open 400 franchises across the country within the next three years.

It's a lofty target, but early numbers show the restaurant chain, known to Treasure Coast locals as ''the Hurricane'' is on track to hit that figure.

Since Hurricane Brand Holdings started franchise sales in late February, more than 70 contracts have been signed, 26 of them for restaurants in Palm Beach County, the company reported.

About 15 of the 70 are expected to open by the end of the year in cities as near as Jupiter and as far as Winter Haven.

''We honestly think we're going to be the Subway of wings,'' said Mike Matakaetis, 49, chairman of the privately held company. ``We feel that strongly.''

Franchise buyers have been attracted to the chain's turnkey format, Matakaetis said: It's a small-scale, high-volume restaurant that prides itself on the quality of its food.

The company recently eliminated trans-fat oils from its kitchens and has been using all-natural chicken for years, President and Chief Executive Mike Buscaino said.

''Nobody really talks about the quality of their product, and they're selling girls -- they're not selling food,'' Buscaino, 46, said of other wing restaurants.

Russo's earliest menu offerings in Fort Pierce were rather rudimentary -- hot wings, barbecued wings and other standards -- but he immediately started experimenting with more exotic ingredients. Parmesan and garlic wings appeared on the menu as the restaurant developed a loyal following.

By the time he opened his second restaurant in St. Lucie West in 2000, he had 10 or 15 sauces on the menu. When his third opened in Jensen Beach in 2002, he had closer to 30.

''It was part of a culture,'' said Russo, now a co-owner and board member. ``People kept coming back to see what was new, what was the latest flavor.''

Today, Hurricane Grill and Wings' 40 sauces are a distinctive part of its brand. They include flavors such as chipotle raspberry and spicy piña colada glaze, all of which are manufactured in Palm Beach County.

The simplicity of centralized production is appealing to franchisees because it lets them use a branded product without losing space in their kitchens, said Amy Bannon, spokeswoman for the International Association of Franchisers in Washington, D.C.

''That is a way to control costs, and that's something that a franchise could do uniformly,'' she said.

RENEWED INTEREST

In recent years, Bannon said she's seen a renewed commitment to wing restaurants, which she noted tend to do well in football country.

''During sports events you have the wings, you don't have quiche,'' she said.

Still, Hurricane Grill isn't billing itself as a sports bar. Though its restaurants feature a few TVs, its executives are pushing an all-are-welcome, tropics-inspired, corner-pub image.

''We get everything from families of four to two women out having a nice casual dinner to two guys getting off work,'' Russo said.

To open a Hurricane Grill, franchisees must pay an initial fee of $30,000 to Hurricane Brand Holdings, plus 5 percent royalties and another 3 percent of their sales toward companywide advertising. That doesn't include the start-up costs for building the physical restaurant space, which Matakaetis estimated are upward of $250,000.

Fort Pierce residents Bonnie Turk and Allison O'Connor decided to take the plunge by buying a franchise in the Tampa area.

FRANCHISE AMBITION

As frequent customers of the Fort Pierce restaurant, the pair saw a note on the menu that said franchises were available and, after both had a bad workday, they decided to go for it.

''We thought it was a pipe dream, really. We never thought it would happen,'' said O'Connor, 31, a former teacher at St. Lucie West Centennial High School.

Drawing on equity from their homes, the two pooled their resources and hope to open the restaurant in six to nine months.

''They need a wing place, a good wing place. And I'm not putting down any of the other franchises, but . . . this product will sell itself,'' said Turk, 41, a teacher at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce.

Since the eateries typically are 1,500 to 1,800 square feet, Hurricane Grill franchisees don't have to make a huge up-front investment, said Matakaetis, who owns 12 Dunkin' Donuts in Martin and St. Lucie counties and has developed another 18 as far north as Daytona Beach.

With seven years experience franchising Dunkin' Donuts, he was a driving force behind transforming Russo's original three restaurants into a franchised brand.

As a frequent customer at the Jensen Beach restaurant, he realized the spot had what he liked about Dunkin' Donuts -- customer loyalty.

''I saw the same addiction, people coming in three and five times a week,'' he said.

In late 2002, he devised a business plan and approached Russo with the idea.

Matakaetis eventually talked Russo into leaving the kitchen and taking on a more corporate role.

Hurricane Brand Holdings now has about 20 employees at its headquarters on Willoughby Boulevard in Stuart. Company executives declined to reveal sales figures for any of the restaurants.

AIMING FOR 400

Should the company hit its target of 400 franchises within three years, it would surpass the national wing house Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, the Minneapolis-based company that has 232 franchises and 115 company-owned restaurants, according to the International Association of Franchisers.

So far, all of Hurricane Grill's franchises are within Florida; the company expects to expand beyond the state by the end of the year. Among its targets: Georgia, Tennessee, New York and Massachusetts.

Russo even sold his original restaurant in Fort Pierce as a franchise and intends to open a new ''founder's franchise'' at the Tradition development in western Port St. Lucie by the end of the year.

He's no longer in the kitchen but said he has found a new creative outlet at the corporate level.

''Even though I'm not in the kitchen, it's still my passion to be involved with the food,'' Russo said.

Hurb's Burgers Article

Local BusinessWhen Irish guys are frying
Hurb's Burgers started out at Concrete Street, plans to expand in franchise deal
Fanny S. Chirinos Caller-Times

Judging from the news photo framed at Hurb's Burgers on Chaparral Street, the burger joint in Decatur, Ill., was tiny. There was no place to sit.

A few screened windows for taking orders and catching a glimpse of the crowd, a large grill and fryers were all the tools Bill Krekels used to make his magic. That and a few fresh beef patties, cheese and a couple of buns.

"We all liked them and I'd always said I'd open a place where I could sell these burgers," said Gary Durbin, president of Hurb's Burgers Inc. "When I'd tell Bill, he'd say he would come down and eat one. He died before I opened my first store."

The type of double-cheeseburger Durbin, 48, ate as a kid now is enjoyed by hundreds on a daily basis at any of five Hurb's Burgers locations in Corpus Christi, Robstown and Mathis. The company started by selling burgers at Concrete Street Amphitheater more than five years ago.



Business takes off
Downtown: 705

Chaparral St. 884-4872. Opened St. Patrick’s Day, 2003 Weber/Saratoga: 6410 Weber Road. 855-4872. Opened Sept. 1, 2005 IH 37/McKinzie Road (inside Shell station). Opened Sept. 1, 2005 Robstown: (inside Valero station). Opened April 4, 2006 IH 37/Hwy 359 (inside Texaco station). Opened April 15, 2006
Gary's son, Patrick, helped start the business at the amphitheater and said he kept telling his dad they should open their own restaurant.
"People would come up to me and ask where they could get the burgers," said Patrick Durbin, 27. "They'd say they didn't care about the concert. They would pay for a ticket just to come eat a burger."

Two years later, they opened Hurb's Burgers on Chaparral Street. Since then, they've opened locations on Weber Road, in Annaville, Robstown and Mathis. Now the company is looking to expand throughout Texas and the United States. The Durbins have hired a consulting firm to help organize the company and franchise it.

The Hurb's burger is unlike most burgers you'll find. "We don't consider Whataburger a competitor because you're talking about two different products, really," Gary said. The thin patties, never frozen, grill fast. So fast, that the burger could be cooking while the customer is standing in line to order it. Patrick explains how:

"I'll lean back from the 450-degree grill and see the line of people. If I see five of them, I slap 10 patties on the grill. Most people order doubles and if they don't, I got a double to eat. Sometimes, I'll have the burger out before you finish filling up your drink."

At the downtown location, Patrick is the only person in the kitchen during the busiest hours of the day, between 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. He prefers it this way because people just get in his way, he says.

Laura Garcia's introduction to a Hurb's burger took place at the downtown location about two months ago. She's hooked.

"I don't know what it is about them other than they're juicy," said the 24-year-old Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi student. "You don't wait forever to get them and they fit in your hand. When you take a bite, you feel the melted cheese and can tell the patty's just come off the grill. It's kind of weird now that I think about it, but that's why I love them."

Garcia said she comes during lunch, even when she probably has to wait for a table. But it's worth it, she says. She has tried the onion rings, the fish sandwich and the hot wings but says it's the burger that keeps her coming back.

"I think the double cheeseburger ruins it for the rest of the menu items," she said. "You can get the other stuff at other places, but a Hurb's burger you can only get at Hurb's."

A family business

Sitting across from the bus terminal downtown, the first Hurb's Burgers to open is as diverse in its decor as in clientele.

Nailed to one wall are motorcycle parts that have served their purpose on a Harley Davidson, or came straight out of the box to serve their purpose on the wall. Exhausts, handlebars, seats and spokes are just some of the items that run the length of one wall in the eating area.

"My dad rode a Harley for 30 years and I have one now," Patrick said. "I spent two full days nailing bike parts. I even nailed a part my dad had bought for his bike. People will trade me their parts for mine or they just want a memento."

Opposite that wall is another showcasing large works of art from a family friend. Portraits and paintings of hog-riding enthusiasts are sold, literally, off the wall.

"The store has characteristics that reflect who we are," Patrick said.

The Durbins are hard-working Irish Americans who have embraced their Celtic heritage. Gary owns and leads the company while his wife, Cindy, manages the Annaville location and Patrick runs the downtown restaurant. Three-leaf clovers and the orange, white and green of the Irish flag adorn the restaurants.

"My mom bred it into our heads, 'You're Irish Catholic and don't you forget it,' " Patrick said. "We have Irish and English ancestry from both sides of the family and the Irish is what comes out in our pride, in our characteristics and our way of thinking."

It also comes out from their bodies. Cindy has one tattoo while the others are clad from shoulders to calves in body art. Between his shoulder blades, Patrick has a tattoo that says "Erieghn Go Braugh," which means Ireland forever.

The Durbins opened the first restaurant from money saved through their other business, Gulf Coast Graphics. The initial $30,000 investment earned profits to open a second and third restaurant last year and the rest this year.

The schedule has been seven days a week, 356 days a year to get the business where it is now, Patrick said.

"No one outside the family knows how hard we've worked to get this going," he said.

During the lunch hour, seats at any of the restaurants are hard to find. The popularity of the restaurants led Gary to move his business to the next level - franchising.

Going global

Francorp USA, a Chicago-based full-service consulting firm, is working on organizing Hurb's Burgers Inc. Within a year, the company hopes to introduce the world to Hurb's Burgers and begin franchising the company.

"We'll saturate the concept in Texas because there's a huge market," said Christopher Conner, a Francorp senior consultant. "Once a solid foundation is developed, we'll take it further."

In today's market, it is difficult for a business to begin franchising, Conner said. Of the 15,000 contacts the firm receives a year, Francorp works with fewer than 100. Of those, very few will expand beyond their state.

Hurb's, however, shows promise for several reasons.

"There's a low initial investment of about $100,000 or less, which is low compared to other chains like Burger King," Conner said. "(Gary has) developed a name for himself and he's got a great, fresh product. We've seen great upside potential on the revenue side."

Gary's goal is to open 200 to 300 locations in the United States. Conner said franchising is the quickest and least-expensive way to do it.

"If we can survive in a downtown location across the street from a bus station, we can survive anywhere," Gary said.

The other option is to raise about $200 million to open the locations plus 200 top-quality managers," he said. "It's difficult."

If and when Hurb's goes global, the Durbins said they won't change. The estimated $35,000 royalty fee per new location is not enough to change them.

"We're not suit-wearers," Gary said. "We don't even own suits. I'll probably keep promoting the franchises and let the managers mind the stores. Patrick will pass the grill to someone else and promote the franchises with me."

The Durbins won't be looking for anyone in particular to carry the Hurb's name to the next level, only that they be smart and hardworking individuals.

"I'm not looking for people with tattoos or body piercings just like I'm not looking for people in business suits," Gary said. "I'm looking for people who can dedicate the time to building a business like we did. After all, the name's riding on it."

On a recent Tuesday, Hurb's downtown was standing-room-only. People stood in line, looking around for the first available seat while they ordered their lunch and filled their drinks.

A district judge, an employee from the city of Corpus Christi's wastewater department, businessmen, students and a mix of about 25 other customers sat enjoying their food, mostly burgers and fries.

"You can come here wearing anything from a suit and dress to shorts and flip-flops and fit in," Garcia said as she waited to order. "Watch, someone will see the line and get up a minute sooner than they would at any other restaurant because there's an understanding among customers. We understand a hankering for a Hurb's burger."

Sure enough, a party of three got up to leave and Garcia claimed the table. As two more customers walked in, they looked around as they got in line to order. There was no place to sit, yet.

Contact Fanny S. Chirinos at 886-3759 or chirinosf@ caller.com