Franchising was born in chaos. Companies began selling franchises in the 1920s with no standards or regulations and this loose approach contin…
Julie Bennett
Young franchise concepts are all the rage, garnering attention and drawing crowds to workshops and events aimed at those who believe they’re t…
Franchise companies almost always begin as small businesses. Entrepreneurs open a single entity—from a breakfast restaurant to a cell phone re…
The franchise broker community is growing and so is the controversy that surrounds it. According to an IBISWorld Industry Report, the franchis…
“How much can I make?’ is the question everyone wants to know before they invest in a franchise. Until recently, the answer was not forthcomin…
Area development agreements—in which a franchisee agrees to open not one, but a specific number of units within a defined territory within a c…
Burgerim, the mini burger-focused concept that originated in Israel and was brought to the United States in 2014 by Oren Loni, sold more than 1,000 franchises within five years. Hundreds of franchisees paid the $50,000 franchise fee, built and opened stores, but didn't come close to the 23 percent operating profits Loni promised, says franchisee Robert Jameson.
When Burgerim began selling franchises in the U.S., it did so without the usual validation. What Burgerim did have was its president, Oren Loni, an Israeli citizen who claimed to have extensive experience in launching "highly successful" restaurant franchises in Israel and other European countries.
Burgerim, of Encino, California, is one of the nation's fastest-growing better burger chains, with 80 units open around the country and more than 600 franchises sold since the start of 2017. How a franchise could hit those numbers with no corporate stores or national ad campaign is only part of the mystery.