states – California, Florida, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan,
Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota,
South Dakota and Texas – and 12 more in
theMiddleEast region.
The chain employs close to 2,500 across all
its locations, with an average of 40per unit.
Only seven of the 57 locations remain
under corporate ownership. That fact,
Schram said, reflects a dedicated emphasis
on the franchise blueprint. Five company-
owned stores are planned for the greater
Cincinnati area over the next 24 months to
help, he said, “reinforce the brand.”
“Some companies might reserve the best
markets for the company-owned stores and
leave to franchisees more challenging areas,”
he said. “They might take the filet mignon
for themselves and leave the second choice
108 | BusinessWorld |
July-August 2014
