February 2014
| Business World Magazine | 73
termined that the growth rate outpaced
that of larger competitors Starbucks and
Dunkin Donuts.
The short-term growth goal going for-
ward, according to CEO Bob Fish, is 300
stores by 2015.
“There are two different camps within
franchising,” McFall says, “whether it’s
good to have corporate-owned stores or
not. Right now, we’re very, very comfort-
able with the way we’re developing our
company. We may very well get back into
owning our own stores, but at that time
we’d simply be a franchisee of our own
business. We never intended to do it this
way, but it’s worked very well.”
Though the vast majority of Biggby’s
stores are in its home state or adjacent
neighbors Indiana, Illinois and Wiscon-
sin, the franchise model has enabled ex-
tension into much farther-flung areas like
Texas, South Carolina, Kentucky and
Florida. And while McFall insists world
takeover is not on the agenda, confidence
exists that simply adhering to the systems
the company has in place for franchisees
will allow the operation to succeed any-
where.
“We want someone who has a passion
for operating, who is enthusiastic and en-
