Pat Guarnaccia is cooking up a storm, with his franchise at Melbourne’s popular Highpoint Shopping Centre riding the wave of success. As the first franchisee of the leading ‘fresh and tasty’ sandwich wrap group
Trios, Pat has taken risks and experienced a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows to get to where his is now.
Since taking up the reigns three years ago as his own boss and Trios franchisee, Pat has experienced significant changes to both his personal and professional life.
The 34-year-old married father of two, with a third child on the way, worked as a chef for over 15 years in Melbourne’s hospitality industry before setting sail into uncharted waters as Trios’ first franchisee in late 2002.
“It was a little bit daunting becoming the first Trios franchisee because I had to grow with the company and there was nothing to compare my experiences to; but looking back, it was the best life-altering decision I’ve made,” Pat said.
The founders of the ‘fresh and tasty’ concept, brothers Elias, Sam and David Elia were long term friends of Pat’s, making the decision to plunge head first into the deep end a little easier.
“The Elia brothers are savvy entrepreneurs and although it was a little bit daunting being the first Trios franchisee, I knew the business would help me to grow my wealth and learn a lot at the same time.”
“Working in the food services industry, I could also see that the Australian population were dictating that they wanted fresh and
healthy food that would taste great and also satisfy their appetites, and I could see how Trios would live up to those expectations,” Pat said.
Trios launched itself during the inception of the healthy food boom, attracting customers that wanted fresh, tasty and nutritional food on the go.
Now entering into its forth year, Trios has built up a strong customer basis by providing a wide variety of fresh and healthy Laffé Wraps™, salads and baked spuds with a selection of world inspired fillings and dressings.
“I’ve managed to make a tidy sum being a Trios franchisee but best of all I now have a great deal of balance in my life and that’s one of the greatest rewards that comes with being your own boss,” Pat said.
“I have reduced my working week to around 35 hours in the shop and can now take my daughter to school on my way to work and spend quality time with my family in the evenings and on alternate weekends. “It also means a lot to me that my children will grow up appreciating the importance and the benefits of eating healthy food and that their dad is supplying the community with tasty, nutritional meal options.
“It’s one thing to make a good return but it is also important to believe in what you are doing as a franchisee,” Pat said. The young businessman is now entering his forth year as a Trios franchisee but despite being involved in the business from its conception, there are still a number of things he has continued to learn.
“I am starting to grasp the benefits of marketing my own store to the local community and getting involved as much as I can,” Pat said. “Just recently I delivered a healthy Trios lunch to my daughter’s school for National Nutrition Week to show the kids that good food can also taste great; it’s little things like this that make a real difference to my store’s image and I love getting out in the community and lending a hand wherever possible.”
Pat believes that the rapid growth throughout the franchise industry is due to everyday Australians wanting to be in control of their own destiny and working hard to achieve that goal.
“My advice to those interested in becoming a franchisee is to do all the research you can before you invest in the company and then have a long hard think about whether it’s something you can see yourself doing day in and day out and ultimately enjoying it; you have to recognise the benefits in the product or service and feel comfortable selling it.”
“Being a franchisee can be very rewarding but you have to be prepared, at least at the start, to put in the hard yards to ensure the business gets off on the right foot,” Pat said. Now that Pat has well and truly achieved his independence and his Trios store is thriving, he is now considering doing it all again and investing in another Trios store.
“I love what I do and enjoy working with my staff to serve fresh, wholesome food to the community … but I still have more plans up my sleeve so it’s not a wrap just yet,” Pat said.
Trios has grown extensively throughout Victoria and recently into New South Wales, with negotiations underway and new stores expected to open in Queensland within months.
2-Aug-2007