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Posted:14-February-2022

Interview with Favorite Chicken & Ribs franchisee Michelle Yogarajah

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  • Franchisee: Michelle Yogarajah
  • Location: Rayleigh, Essex
  • Date launched the franchise: Sept 2012

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you were doing prior to buying your Favorite Chicken franchise business?
I worked at a school as a teaching assistant prior to doing this business whilst my husband has been in the food industry for a long time, so he’s got the knowledge and ideas for how to run this kind of business.

Can you also tell us about Favorite Chicken 
This store is in the small town of Rayleigh in Essex. The area is very nice with lots of small shops and a great community. It was an existing Favorite store already at the time we bought it.

Why did you go down the franchise route? What made you choose the quick service food industry? And why a Favorite Chicken franchise?
Going for a franchise is the best way to start a business because everything is taken care of by the brand from start to finish.  The brand is already an established name. the fast-food industry is on the rise due to the fast-paced life of most people. They want quick and delicious food. We chose Favorite Chicken because the brand is already famous in the chicken shop industry, and we serve only the best quality food.

How did you raise the finance?
We saved some money and we went for a secured loan. 

What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?
The Area Manager trained the staff on how to prepare and cook our products, how to manage the front of house, packing the food and serving the customers. Health and Safety training is conducted on a regular basis. Frequent store visits by the Area Manager ensures that all of the procedures are being followed for running a business smoothly.

How would you describe your day-to-day role as a franchisee?
Every day we check the stock and balance cash sales. We make sure the store is always clean and make sure our products maintain a high quality. We prepare for opening to customers at 11am.

Provide information on challenges overcome as well as your key successes to date. Please also detail the steps you have taken to manage the business during the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are always challenges in the fast-food industry, but we haven’t experienced anything major. So far, everything is going smoothly. Our biggest success is that we have finally refurbished our store and it now looks so modern. The sales have gone up in the last 2 years as well. During the pandemic, it was tough. The first lockdown when everything was shut, the store was very busy. Favorite provided updated information and support material and we put everything in place to follow the government guidelines and keep everyone safe while staying open. We operated mostly on a delivery basis. The lockdown gave us a boost in sales, but it took a big level of thought and effort to achieve it.

Has becoming a franchisee changed your life, if so, how?
Yes, it definitely has changed our lives. It’s such a nice feeling to have our own business rather than working for someone else. We are very hands-on with the business so we’re always here at the store because our aim is to provide excellent service and products to our customers. We also get to know our regulars and love to see them.

How do you achieve a work-life balance?
We are fortunate to have wonderful staff we can trust to run the store if we’re not around so we can still have quality time to spend with the family. It’s hard sometimes, if there are unforeseen circumstances that mean we must be at the store, even on our day-off but that’s part of having a business. Staying healthy, having good and well-deserved rest is important for both the body and mind for any business owner.

If you have staff, how do you retain your best staff and keep morale high and productive; how do you incentivise your staff and recognise success?
Good work relationships with the staff are essential for the success of the business. We believe in the saying “treat your staff well and the staff will look after your business.” We recognise their dedication and commitment to work by giving them bonuses and holiday pay.

Can you tell us about any community involvement, including any local partnerships, incentives or charity work you are involved in? 
Every year, we sponsor Christmas lights for the town and flowers for the lamp posts. We give donations to local charities as well to assist their fundraising.

What is the most invaluable piece of advice you could give someone looking to buy their first franchise? 
First of all, they must decide whether the fast-food route is really the way forward for them. Look for the relevant person and ask the right questions on how to start up. Ask someone who is running a fast-food business and gaining some work experience in the industry would be ideal too.

In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?  
Hard work, dedication, and commitment. There’s no shortcut to success.

What are your plans for the future?

Hopefully, God willing, we would like to open another branch around the area.

If you had to do it all again, what would you do differently?
We wouldn’t change a thing. One thing for sure is, we became wiser and more knowledgeable as time went by so hopefully, if we expand our business, it wouldn’t be as stressful.

Interested and want to know more about Favorite Chicken?

The Favorite Chicken basic profile outlines aspects of their franchise opportunity

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