Veteran franchisees reflect on an uncertain reality, restaurants' future It's mid-April as I write this, and restaurant sales and guest counts have been in the tank for a month because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I often ask multi-unit franchisees why they chose a particular brand. Sometimes people have to dig deeply into their memory banks, which, more often than not, results in a fond reminisce.

Sometimes negative things happen unexpectedly to growth-oriented franchisees. Case in point: Qdoba franchisee Matt Herridge, who two years ago acquired a third outlet from a franchisee in Columbus, Ohio. Herridge, who also franchises nine Burger Kings in West Virginia and Ohio, had never shuttered a restaurant because of poor sales.

“That's a phenomenal question,” said Wireless Zone franchisee Chris Severo, after being asked how he plans on recruiting workers for the outlet he intends to open soon in Chappaqua, New York, in affluent Westchester County (median household income: $213,040).