Letter from the Editor
Coming to a restaurant space near you… the Hooters girls?
A significant slice of the February issue is devoted to items gleaned from an exclusive interview with Mark Whittle, who was recently named the Atlanta-
based company’s senior vice president of global development – meaning he’ll play an instrumental role in where the iconic symbols wind up.
Whittle spoke at length about the company’s renewed initiative to grow through franchising, a drive that’s put him on the front lines when it comes to
identifying the right owners and the right markets to help expand the company into what it expects will be 150 new stores by 2019.
Hooters has taken what Whittle labels “a more proactive approach” when it comes to identifying partners, which means a large part of his new role is
researching appropriate markets and taking the lead when it comes to establishing contact with the appropriate potential operators.
That drill-down process takes a number of factors into account, including a prospect’s restaurant experience and financial wherewithal, but Whittle says
it’s not simply about the cash flow.
“This is a people business,” he says. “Introverts don’t seem to be successful, or, if you’re an introvert by nature, you need to have the outgoing sort of people
working with you. If Warren Buffett called me tomorrow, the first question I’d ask him is ‘Who is going to operate the restaurant?’”
And while some elements of the brand may change from place to place, some others will surely not.
“The Hooters girls are certainly part of the concept and will continue to be part of the concept,”Whittle says. “Having pretty girls around the world offering
exceptional service to the customer is just part of how we do things. Some things never get old.”
When it comes to companies anticipating growth in the coming years, Hooters is not alone.
Also included in this month’s magazine is a story on Golden Rock Commercial Park, a sprawling $76 million, five-phase development in Basseterre, the
capital and largest city in St. Kitts and Nevis, a two-island nation that’s home to 40,000 people and located 1,200 miles off the Florida coast.
Scott Caines, managing director of the company that initiated the project, says it was conceived amid an atmosphere of optimism and expansion that’s
enveloped the country in the last two or three years. Phase I construction began one year ago and the entire operation is scheduled for completion in 2018.
“Five years ago, we’d not have been ready for a project like this,” he says. “In the last three years, we’ve had quite a significant amount of new hotel properties
on the island. There are facilities that have the ability and the potential to bring people and other things to the island.”
Take a look at those items and others included in our February offering, as well as supplemental content in the form of interesting business-related Top 10
lists and our newest interactive feature – “One Last Question” – located on the issue’s final page.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any comments or critiques, as well as suggestions for ways we can continue to provide a publication that’s
pertinent, educational and entertaining.
Until next month…
Regards,
Lyle Fitzsimmons
Managing Editor, North America
