The Franchisee Experience:
Interview with a Store Owner

Albert Gallagher has been operating the outlet on Wexford Street, Dublin 2 since March 1st 2006:

“I first came across the brand at the franchising show in the RDS. I had a background in catering and knew that I was interested in this area. Quiznos Sub had a lot of what I was looking for,” says Gallagher. “I was already thinking about sandwiches but the Quiznos product and the key of its being hot and toasted compared very well to the competition. I had a number of meetings and did my research and I was happy to sign up a few months later.

“It is difficult to get all the conditions for success right and keep the parameters within what you can afford. The Wexford Street location sourced through Douglas Newman Good, is terrific – and it’s very competitive. But the feedback is terrific and although we are only open three months we have our regulars who are increasing in number every day.” It is one of the key characteristics that the sandwiches have avid fans, who get hooked – one blog even describes Quiznos as “like drugs on a toasted bun”.

Gallagher currently has the only franchise that opens late and catches the after pub and club trade on the way home. “The street gets busy then and each franchisee has to cut their cloth according to their location. Quiznos offers terrific breakfast fare but it wasn’t our busiest time. In our case we decided to shift our 8.30 a.m. opening to 10 a.m. Monday to Thursday. We stay open till 7.30p.m. Monday to Thursday and we open until 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday,” says Gallagher. “Only a hot product will sell that well, you would not be selling ordinary sandwiches at that time of night.”

Gallagher agrees that a franchisee needs to be committed to make a success of the operation but remarks calmly that he is achieving his goal of not exceeding a 60 hour week most of the time. He is sanguine about the future and hopes to open at least one more outlet once he has finished building the business in Wexford Street.

“From the start the biggest thing is to be part of building a brand. Customers come in who know the brand from the US and are delighted to recognize it and realize it has come here too. The support from Kylemore has been excellent, I am happy with it,” he says.

Looking around the attractive interior of the Wexford Street restaurant, he points out how everything from the signage to the interior design has been designed, placed and selected with the expert guidance of the parent brand. 

In the end though the product- the food - is all important. Gallagher’s comment sums it up. “Anyone who tastes it comes back,” he says. Now that’s a recipe for success.