Robert Thomas

Takafumi Kawasaki opened his first Wetzel’s Pretzels unit in April 2012. Within two months, the fast-paced pretzel concept inside Tokyo’s Ario Kameari Mall became the brand’s No. 1 store. Now with four units in Tokyo, one in Hiroshima, and another in Kyoto, Kawasaki plans to...

Sean Falk joined the United States Marine Corps in 1989. After time as an infantry officer, on recruiting duty, and in the Reserves—time that took him to Desert Storm and Bosnia, among other operations—Falk moved to serving in a different fashion when he opened his first Mrs. Fields...

For more than 33 years, franchisees Ken Gray and Larry Erdman have been successful business partners in the quick-serve industry. Having grown up together and attended the same high school and college, Gray and Erdman became master franchisees with Subway in 1979, a venture that spanned more...

Having started as a crewmember at the age of 16, Vicki Marshall has nearly 35 years of experience with Little Caesars. The first female franchisee for the brand, Marshall opened her first unit at age 22, and now owns 23 stores across Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio.

Marshall’s...

Christi Hogin and her business partners Michael Jenkins and Chris Khaleghian opened their first Tossed unit in the heart of Los Angeles’ Financial District in March. Hogin and Jenkins, both lawyers, and Khaleghian, a former Johnny Rockets and Subway franchisee, built several sustainable...

William Bruce says franchisees can save money in everything they do. And throughout his career, Bruce has helped several quick-serve brands, including El Pollo Loco, Arby’s, and Paradise Bakery, do exactly that.

Mohammad Al Madani is a worldly man. After graduating from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, Madani went home to Dubai and launched an engineering consultancy firm, Apex International Engineering Consulting. Since then, Madani has become...

Cheesesteaks aren’t the only food Philadelphia obsesses over. Brent Schadler of Philly Pretzel Factory has been serving pretzels to a loyal community in the City of Brotherly Love since 2008.

A 14-year veteran of the stock-trading industry who once controlled the trading desk for Washington Mutual, Cary Cheung has immersed himself in the quick-serve world. The Doc Popcorn franchisee has two units, one in Escondido and West Covina, California.