Miller’s Taps into 50 Years of Equity to Ignite Franchising

Miller’s Well-known Sandwiches house owners Gwen and Roger Graham Jr. are keenly targeted on what’s needed to propel the brand name to the subsequent degree.

That’s why after approximately 40 years of small business as an impartial cafe in East Providence, Rhode Island, the third-technology operators resolved in 2010 to open a next retailer in Attleboro, Massachusetts, about 10 miles absent.

It’s a stark turn from those who came right before them. When Henry and Ruby Miller 1st opened Miller’s in 1972, there were no intentions to consider on much more. With business progressing and buyer desire holding continual, the few remained written content with building sandwiches in their a person Rhode Island-dependent cafe. The second generation, daughter and son-in-regulation Ruth and Roger Graham, took over in 1986 and retained the same philosophy.

But when Gwen and Roger entered cafe leadership in the late 2000s, the duo found opportunities to leverage many years-truly worth of cult-like demand and fulfill a have to have for roast beef sandwiches without having synthetic preservatives.

In the decades considering the fact that that important decision, monetary effectiveness has proven them proper. Exact same-retailer income have elevated in the previous four yrs, and following pivoting throughout COVID, there continue to has not been any declines.

That’s why franchising—for the 1st time in organization history—is the sensible future step, Gwen Graham states.

“The past generations, they made a thing fantastic, but we see something even larger,” Graham states. “We assume now is time to pave the way for, we like to call it a far better-beef [quick-service restaurant] segment. 5 Men did it at the time, proper? When they developed the far better-burger marketplace, they spearheaded that, and other people adopted in its path, but there is nobody ideal now definitely carrying out a fantastic roast beef sandwich, and we know we have what it can take.”

Examine Extra: Miller’s Well known Sandwiches Launches Franchise Application

Though it is cliché, Graham claims Miller’s will take a “walk ahead of you run” mentality when it arrives to franchise-led enlargement. The chain refuses to enter hundreds of agreements and end with a significant selection of marketed-but-not-open dining establishments. With that in intellect, the strategy is to open 5 to seven spots in the next couple of years throughout marketplaces from the Northeast to Florida, which include Boston, Charlotte, Raleigh, New York Town, and Washington D.C.

Miller’s exclusive franchise supplying starts off with its menu, Graham notes. The brand serves six tons of roast beef each individual month out of its two areas, working with certified angus beef that is cooked minimal and slow overnight. The meat is sliced skinny to order, which prospects can see as a result of the open up kitchen area format.

The cafe serves sandwiches with turkey, hen, pastrami, corned beef, pulled pork, and lobster, but considering that opening 49 a long time ago, roast beef has remained the No. 1 vendor.

“More often than not when people hear roast beef, they imagine Arby’s, and ours is just far better,” Graham says. “That’s just my opinion. Which is not just about anything damaging about the brand name. We think ours is better.”

The meals, alongside with consistent service and experience, has shipped organic progress in excess of the a long time. But not a lot has been carried out with brand identification, and the proprietors realized they could not go to current market without the need of a polish. To fortify its franchise possible, Miller’s partnered with layout and branding agency Rugged Coastal to endure a significant refresh.

The concluded solution contains daring orange shades and bright lighting throughout packaging, products, and other touch points. The prototype attributes white tile on principal walls to maintain the room open up and gentle, and place for a mural or accent wall to point out the brand’s playfulness. Other notable updates contain wood flooring, overhead lights higher than booths and tables, and a neon wall indicator.

On top of that, the “Miller’s” text went back to the original script design and style from the 1970s, and artists established “fun and whimsical” illustrations.

“The final aim of those people choices is to definitely communicate to the customers—when they’re in the space—the good quality of the products we’re serving, but also connect the history of Miller’s and our determination to consumer services that has led us to prosper virtually 50 years after opening,” Graham suggests.