Cuban cafe/bar franchise, Coco Cubano, has received a glowing review in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Living magazine, helping to quash the stigma that ‘chain’ food service establishments lack originality.
Reviewer Rachel Olding’s opening paragraph reads “People often believe that if something is a chain, it’s bland and unoriginal. I don’t buy into that notion after visiting this place.”
Olding is referring to Coco Cubano’s new Parramatta outlet, officially opening earlier this month. She goes on to praise the venue’s ambience, decor, cocktail menu and chocolatey treats, concluding that “My scepticism about franchises is drowned out by hot chocolate and sangria. I’m officially joining the revolution.”
Review adds credibility
Tony Melhem, Coco Cubano’s franchisor, was obviously pleased with the review, and hopes it will help others to realise that franchised food service businesses can be just as credible as independent operations.
“Some people think franchises can be a bit soulless and bland, but that doesn’t have to be the case and it isn’t always the case. With Coco Cubano we really want to give it a soul. We want to deliver an experience and we put a lot of passion into it,” he told Franchising.
He adds that you can’t treat each venue as identical when you’re working with a franchise system.
“It’s about paying a bit of respect to each individual location and the community there as well. You can’t treat them all the same.
“We look at each individual store and what we’ve got to work with in terms of existing features, like recycling old walls or using the old timber, or whatever it may be.”
Proven systems
The benefit of running a franchise in the food service industry is that while the franchisor can be flexible in terms of the layout and feel of each store, the customers and franchisees can trust and rely on the proven systems associated with the franchising model.
“For us it’s important that each store feels more like a boutique and an independent cafe/bar rather than being part of a big chain. I think it’s important for the customer experience. But at the same time it’s also important for the customer to know that there’s a strong franchise system behind that uniqueness” said Melhem.