You will find the most successful franchises in the food service industry. And even more specifically, in the fast food industry. Sometimes it seems to me that franchising was invented specifically for the fast food industry, so well are franchising tools suitable for the fast food industry.

If we look at the top franchises, we will see a couple of top three fast foods in the leaders, but with a high probability, the leader of this rating will be McDonald's, which achieved its recognition and popularity by selling burgers. Our article today is dedicated to the kings of fast food, the kings of franchising - burgers. With this article I want to reveal why burger franchises are so popular? What traits does a burger franchise need to have to be successful? Let's look at several foreign cases of burger franchises.

But our main task is to highlight the path of franchising for burger owners as a way to achieve market leadership and a way to scale their business.

It would probably be worthwhile to outline my experience and my background in this matter, so that the reader has an understanding from what particular positions I will cover this issue. I was the director of franchising for the brightest burger brand in Russia, “Black Star Burger.” I packaged this franchise and sold the first few dozen franchises of this brand to all major regions of the country. The recommendations and advice that I will give you in this article are based precisely on this practical experience.

It is obvious that the burger market in Russia is free. Foreign brands are leaving, consumer demand is growing, we need a large, recognizable brand that will occupy a half-empty market. The burger market can be roughly divided into mass popular burger shops and craft burger shops, the prices of which are higher than average and they are aimed more at a premium audience. Both segments have the potential for creating and developing a franchise in Russia. The only difference is that craft burger joints are more similar in their features to the restaurant segment, while mass popular burger joints have their own special unique features and must develop according to their own special rules and laws.

Craft burger joints are usually presented in the form of intimate establishments for their own, which, as a rule, build their product and their concept around high-quality meat, a special cooking method and some kind of trick in serving and preparing burgers. In short, the core of the whole concept is a cool, special product. Craft burger joints are often single-product, that is, there may be nothing else on the menu other than burgers.

The main challenge in scaling a craft burger restaurant will be precisely this transition from a lamp establishment to a large chain.
One burger shop may rely on the experience of the chef and his team, but when the chain is built, other talents will come first: how to manage a large chain, how to ensure standards are met, etc.

What we called mass burgers is, in fact, fast food in its purest form. This is a format that will appeal to businessmen, retirees and students, because everyone will find a dish to their taste and budget and will be satisfied with the level of service.

If we agree with this formulation, then we face a significant challenge to make the highest quality product at the lowest possible price. It is for this reason that McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's are popular and loved by their consumers; they have found their formula for a mass-produced tasty and cheap product.

Mass-produced burger joints like the ones I've listed are more like food preparation factories, where the staff is more like factory workers who must strictly perform their duties and follow processes and rules.

Hence this process automation. Chances are you won't find a mainstream burger joint with a non-automatic coffee machine. All equipment is as automated as possible and should require minimal talent to use. For a massive, large burger franchise, it is advisable to reduce the human factor to a minimum.

You need to have staff who are trained in your burger preparation standards and will do it the same way as in your own locations.
After knowledge transfer and final certification, the team is ready to implement the transferred standards.
Your task as a franchisor is to monitor the quality of the product and service on an ongoing basis.
I have already written an article about monitoring standards. I won't repeat myself.

The task of the franchise founder is to keep up with the times, constantly look for ways to strengthen the brand and product, constantly find solutions to become stronger, tastier, and more profitable.
A larger network has more impressive budgets for company modernization. A single burger joint cannot afford to hire a foreign technologist or travel to exhibitions around the world to search for new technologies for business. But the network can! And it is obliged to do this in order to win the competition and generate profit for its network and its franchisees.

In Russia, franchising is very personalized; we most likely know the owners of all significant chains in the country.
A franchise buyer comes not only for the brand and product, but also for the personal brand of the company owner.
And support from this person is very important. The very opportunity to ask a question to “the one” gives confidence to the entrepreneur buying a franchise.

A large chain, accumulating its own resources and those of franchisees, can afford to implement large-scale advertising campaigns for the common benefit of all franchisees.
When purchasing a burger franchise, the franchisee expects that his business will have significant advertising support, which will give him an advantage over competitors in his region.

Often, social network accounts and websites themselves are a media resource with a large number of subscribers.
A mention on high-profile social networks can give franchisees a significant advantage.

Any strategic decision, including launching a franchise, always simultaneously presents both business opportunities and risks.
It would be correct to list and subjectively evaluate the opportunities and risks that starting a franchise poses for your business.
This will allow you to weigh the arguments and make the right decision.

It is difficult to imagine an equally quick way to enter the markets of new regions and countries.

You get the opportunity to influence the market: you get leverage over suppliers, landlords, contractors, etc.
In the event of a future sale of the business, you get a significant opportunity to increase capitalization in a short time.