February 2014
| Business World Magazine | 63
Arooga’s emerged from a field of 250
to be named winner of the “America’s
Next Top Restaurant Franchise” compe-
tition put together by Sysco Foods. The
process involved an application, opera-
tional information and an in-depth inter-
view before the field was trimmed to 25,
at which point judges visited each remain-
ing finalist and scored them according to
a predetermined set of contest criteria.
“One of the things that really set us
apart was that we could compete within
the casual dining segment, with the Ap-
plebees and the Fridays,” Huether says.
“But we’d also be able to compete locally
with the independent bars at nighttime. A
lot of times in the casual concept, at 10
p.m., it’s over. But at 10 p.m., the night-
life is starting at a lot of our locations.”
The victory, Huether says, was valida-
tion for the original growth plan for the
business – though he conceded it may
have sped up the process. Four of the nine
existing stores, all corporate-owned, have
opened since the contest ended, but the
focus going forward will have a franchise
focus.
Huether planned to be the liaison to the
franchisees before sitting down with Keith
Swade in March 2013. Swade was CEO
