American City Business Journals:
What began here as a single meal-preparation store on the North Side in 2004 has quietly become a fast-growing franchisor with 23 outlets in 17 U.S. states and one Canadian province.
Tami Badinger, who owns the company, called Cena Franchising Inc., with her husband, Bruce, says the couple always planned to create something more than a single store.
‘We knew from the moment we thought of it, we wanted to franchise,’ she says.
The following year, they sold their first franchise, to a couple in Elk Grove, Calif.
Now, with 22 franchise openings plus the original store under their belts, the Badingers plan to expand further, despite industry projections for slow growth in their niche. 7 Cena outlets are expected to open across the U.S. within the next month or so, and franchise rights have been sold for 4 other new stores, bringing the total number of franchises the company has sold to 33.
In all, Cena Franchising expects to open about 17 franchise outlets this year, Badinger says, giving it a total of 40 outlets.
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