Controlling Growth: Expansion From The Inside Out

Fast Casual:

When Phil Friedman led a management buyout of McAlister’s Deli in 1999, he knew the chain was an opportunity in the making.

Started by a dentist and his 2 sons in 1989, McAlister’s had grown to 30 units in just a few years, and by 1998 sales had reached more than $34 million.

‘It was a young company that had grown pretty fast and it didn’t have the infrastructure to support what it had, or the opportunity,’ Freidman said.

What it needed to grow, Freidman knew, was a strong leadership and management team that could capitalize on where the chain was going and had the ability to take it there. But first, the chain needed to build a more solid foundation, one that could support the level of growth Friedman envisioned and the franchisees willing to invest in its success. Continue reading…