June 2013
| Business World Magazine | 219
ages them to simply open one, try it on for
size so to speak, grow it to success, and then,
maybe, consider multiple ownership. “Lots
of companies don’t want to deal with the
guy only interested in opening one location,
but we prefer it. That’s the way we’ve grown,
buy one, see how it goes, and later go from
there. Our philosophy is slow and steady,”
says Chemero, adding that there have been
exceptions, yet these are rare.
FRANCHISEE FOCUSED
In terms of potential franchisees, Chemero
says his team looks for a person with strong
people skills. “We can teach anyone how to
cook a burger or ring a register, but people
skills are not easily taught. We’re looking for
people with leadership skills, management
or human resources experience, someone
you would enjoy going to dinner with.”
The company conducts a thorough in-
terview and review of candidate application
prior to making any determinations. They
consider the skills the candidate can utilize,
the rationale for going into the restaurant
business and all the candidate can offer the
system in a process that has less to do with fi-
nancial position, but the candidate’s person-
ality. Chemero says one need not necessarily
have a background in restaurant trade, and
he prefers that they don’t. “That way, there
are no bad habits we have to break. If they
don’t have preconceived methodologies,
they’re less likely to tinker with our recipe,”
he says.
Investment in Jake’s Wayback Burger can
range from $250,000 to $300,000, and can-
didates should have at least $100,000 liquid,
allowing the rest to be financed. This results
in a turnkey process. The company com-
mands divisional teams that assist in every
aspect involving the successful opening and
operation of the business that basically never
stops. That process begins with a discovery
day meeting in Connecticut where candi-
dates are exposed to activities that go on a
day to day basis. Upon approval by executive
review, the candidate is actually encouraged
to retain an attorney before signing an agree-
ment. Chemero says the company insists on
clear, accurate understanding of all being
agreed to, and while some companies may
discourage this practice, it is a mandate of
Jake’s Wayback. Franchisees are then treated
to the full range of support deployed by the
company. A real estate team assists in site se-
