World’s Largest Chain of Ice Cream Specialty Shops Signs Store Development Agreement with Former Marine
Baskin-Robbins, the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, announced today the signing of a store development agreement with new franchise group, PWS Ventures, LLC, to develop a new ice cream shop in Dalton, Ga. Paras Sharma is taking advantage of the brand’s special incentive program, available only to U.S. military veterans, to open his first Baskin-Robbins restaurant planned to open early next year. Through this incentive program, the initial franchise fee is waived and royalty rates are reduced for the first five years of business for timely openings by qualified candidates.*
Paras served for eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and is currently a Senior Distributor Manager for Nestle Corporation, while his wife, Wendy, is an Implementation Manager at Unum. Together, they have decades of experience in sales, marketing, finance and operations management. Once their Baskin-Robbins location is up and running, their daughter, Haley, will be acting as manager of the local ice cream shop, making this a true family venture.
“My family and I are thrilled to be a part of the Baskin-Robbins system,” said Paras. “Growing up, I always loved the brand and can still remember the excitement I felt when my parents would take my sister and me to the local Baskin-Robbins shop on Saturdays. I can’t wait to bring that excitement to local families in Dalton.”
He added, “While I’m familiar with the brand, my wife and I are new to the foodservice industry. We currently own two Fantastic Sam’s Hair Salons and decided to diversify our business with a foodservice brand that honors military veterans. When we heard about the company’s veteran incentives, we knew Baskin-Robbins was the right choice for us.”
Haley also has extensive management experience in franchising with concepts such as Zaxby’s, KFC and Applebee’s. Once the Dalton location is open, the family is looking at the possibility of a second location in Gordon County, Ga. Ultimately, they hope to experience growth in Georgia as well as the Chattanooga, Tenn. market where they’re heavily involved in the local community. Paras and Wendy organize a Toys for Tots drive every year through their Fantastic Sam’s Hair Salons, in which they collect new, unwrapped toys for less fortunate children, and Wendy frequently volunteers at the local Habitat for Humanity.
“Our secret to continued growth includes passionate franchisees who provide a high-level of customer service to our guests every day,” said Grant Benson, CFE, vice president of global franchising and business development, Dunkin’ Brands. “We are excited to welcome these new franchisees to the Baskin-Robbins family, and believe they will cultivate lasting customer relationships and become an integral part of the Dalton community.”
Baskin-Robbins currently has franchising opportunities in Atlanta and throughout the state of Georgia. Candidates interested in learning more can contact the Franchising Team at 781-737-5530 or franchiseinfo@baskinrobbins.com.
Baskin-Robbins combines delicious treats with a simple operating model. Franchisees enjoy convenient hours of operation, minimal equipment and little product waste. They also benefit from award-winning training programs and comprehensive operating systems designed to help build business. For additional information, visit the Baskin-Robbins franchising website.
In 1945, Baskin-Robbins was founded in Glendale, Calif., by two ice cream enthusiasts who shared a dream to create an innovative ice cream shop that would be a neighborhood gathering place for families. Today, over 300 million people visit Baskin-Robbins each year to sample from the more than 1,300 flavor creations available in its ice cream library. Baskin-Robbins offers guests its wide range of hard scoop ice cream flavors, along with custom ice cream cakes, delicious frozen beverages, premium soft serve and take home frozen treats.
* For details, please see the Baskin-Robbins Franchise Disclosure Document.
Named the top ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500 ranking in 2015, Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops. Baskin-Robbins creates and markets innovative, premium hard scoop ice cream and soft serve, custom ice cream cakes and a full range of beverages, providing quality and value to consumers at more than 7,600 retail shops in nearly 50 countries. Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion led to the creation of more than 1,300 ice cream flavors and a wide variety of delicious treats. Headquartered in Canton, Mass., Baskin-Robbins is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For further information, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com.
