Bob Smith, Plattsburgh, NY
Ground Round franchise owners and vendor partners gathered in February for their Annual Franchise Conference in San Antonio, TX. On the final night of a three day conference agenda, they celebrated their 10th anniversary of being a Franchise Owned brand by honoring their Founding Members who were there 10 years ago and remain active today in the leadership of the brand. “These Founding Members came together at the most risky of times to form a Cooperative and purchase the Ground Round chain and move it forward. This 10 year journey has brought our brand back to debt free status, growth and a more stable future to look forward to for all who call Ground Round a part of their life today,” stated Jack Crawford, President & CEO of Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative (Ground Round IOC). Ground Round also presented its annual awards to the following individuals and teams:
| Service Excellence | Bradley Beach, NJ Grand Rapids, MN Hallowell, ME Moon Township, PA St. Joseph, MO |
| Marketing Best Practices | Brookings, SD |
| Community Partner Award | Dan Tremble, Bangor, ME |
| Vendor Partner of the Year | Rich Hovsepian, Nestle Professional |
| 2013 Peak Performers | Bemidji, MN Neenah, WI Moon Township, PA Waconia, MN Bismarck, ND |
| Pioneer Award | Rich Batley, Neenah & Oshkosh, WI |
| Operator of the Year | Matt Walkowiak, Grand Forks, ND |
| 2013 Restaurant of the Year | Plattsburgh, NY |
2013 Overall Results
Ground Round also had a very strong year in results in 2013, with system wide comp sales growth of 2.5% and the openings of 5 new locations in Waconia MN, Oshkosh WI, Farmington MN, East Windsor NJ and Ponca City OK. “This past year was our 4th year in a row posting same store sales growth as a chain and Average Unit Volume rose to nearly $2 million, up from $1.4 million in 2004 when our Franchise Members purchased the brand!” offered Gary Serino, Chief Financial Officer of Ground Round IOC.
Ground Round IOC offers a unique franchise model whereby franchisees can own their own franchise restaurant and also purchase an ownership/membership share and stake in the overall future and growth of the brand. Ground Round IOC operates restaurants across the Midwest and Northeast areas of the United States, with headquarters based in Freeport, Maine.
For more information, visit www.groundround.com.
