After opening a whopping 30 new shops in 2020, 25 amid a pandemic, the rapidly-growing fast casual teriyaki shop franchise is expanding its corporate team to give franchisees the support they need to continue dominating in 2021.
Let’s not kid ourselves, 2020 was not a great year for most of the restaurant industry. But one heroic brand, armed with a teriyaki recipe that the gods themselves must have smiled down upon, knocked it out of the park last year, pandemic be damned.
Teriyaki Madness, the Seattle-style teriyaki franchise brand that is close to celebrating the opening of its 100th shop, opened 30 locations in 2020. And 25 of those were during a pandemic. The brand’s system-wide revenue increased by 48% across the franchise system compared to 2019 and TMAD saw a 45% year-over-year increase in grand opening sales for new shops in 2020.
When other restaurant brands were trimming corporate support in 2020, this bowl-buster of a brand increased its corporate staff by 50%, adding 27 new people and expanding its leadership team by adding a chief development officer and promoting a longtime employee to the C-suite.
“Our brand succeeds when our franchisees succeed,” said Michael Haith, CEO of Teriyaki Madness. “So that’s our priority: to make sure that our franchisees have every bit of support and every single resource they need at their disposal. So when we grow, we will support those needs and scale accordingly.”
When the first lockdowns occurred in March, the Teriyaki Madness team felt the crunch just like the rest of the industry. In an effort to conserve strength for the unknown, the franchise laid off half its corporate team and scaled down pay for those that remained on the team. But by May, with shop sales soaring by an average of 18% year over year, the brand rehired every single team member and repaid all lost wages.
Teriyaki bowls just don’t happen by magic. That’s why no Teriyaki Madness shop is complete without the right people with the right skills in the right positions. That also happens to be the philosophy the corporate team lives by, and explains why Teriyaki Madness added 27 positions in 2020, dedicated to direct training and support for franchisees.
David Biederman joined the Teriyaki Madness team as Chief Development Officer in 2020, bringing his accomplishments at leading development efforts at major national chains like McDonald’s, Smashburger and Toppers Pizza.
Biederman will help harness the monumental momentum Teriyaki Madness is bringing to the fast-casual world in 2021, and use it for only good. (He swears.)
“No one expected what 2020 was going to throw our way. And it wasn’t always easy. But it’s only in the face of adversity and challenges that winning teams are forged,” said Biederman. “So If we can open 25 new stores during a pandemic and times of economic uncertainty, I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for us in 2021.”
Among his duties, Biederman will also be charged with accelerating the success of Restaurant Sherpas, Teriyaki Madness’s restaurant management company, which takes the day-to-day restaurant operations off franchisees’ plates so they can focus on developing multi-unit businesses.. Biederman will sherpa the sherpas as they continue bringing on qualified multi-unit, absentee and semi-absentee investors into the brand.
OK, he’s not exactly a new hire, but Teriyaki Madness expanded its leadership team by promoting Joe Gordon to the new role of Chief Restaurant Officer. The former executive vice president of supply chain brings a background that includes high-growth brands like Portillo’s and Noodles & Co. Gordon’s knowledge and expertise will keep the teriyaki taps flowing in 2021.
“David will play a key role in driving our growth forward, and Joe in supporting our growth,” said Haith. “We are not just growing — we are growing smart by partnering with the right franchisees and securing the support resources we need to ensure operations run smoothly for every single one of our franchise partners in 2021 and beyond.”
Fast-casual teriyaki shop franchise Teriyaki Madness is committed to unconditionally satisfying guests by offering delicious, made-to-order, healthy (or not) bowls, apps and sides, prepared with fresh, all-natural ingredients served quickly and at a reasonable price. Guests can enjoy their bowls in the shop, or order through the mobile app for delivery or curbside pickup. Teriyaki Madness has been ranked on Entrepreneur’s Top Food Franchises and FastCasual’s Movers and Shakers in 2019, and the Inc. 5000 list for three straight years. Founded in 2003, the brand currently has franchise agreements in place for nearly 250 shops across the U.S., with franchising opportunities nationwide for qualified single and multi-unit candidates. For more information, visit www.franchise.teriyakimadness.com.
Restaurant Sherpas is an affiliate restaurant management company working exclusively for Teriyaki Madness, handling everything from real estate and construction to hiring, training and ongoing day-to-day management. The Sherpas ensure that the shop is operated at a high level and that all key performance indicators are in line with agreed-upon targets. The turn-key model works especially well for multi-unit operators, and absentee and semi-absentee franchisees looking to secure investor visas or who want to be part of a fast-growing, category-leading brand without running the day-to-day operations. For more information, please visit www.restaurantsherpas.com.
