Hungry Howie's is Finding Strong Appetite for Growth |
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When Eric Fairbanks packed up and moved to North Carolina from Michigan to launch a business in 2005, he didn't know how hungry people would be for his pizza franchise.
Last month, the ambitious 28-year-old entrepreneur opened his fourth Hungry Howie's Pizza & Subs Inc. restaurant at 6316 Old Sugar Creek Road. Fairbanks hopes to open as many as 20 locations throughout the Charlotte area -- including four in the next two years.
Fairbanks says the entrepreneurial bug bit him early in his college career while he was working as a delivery driver for a national pizza chain. After graduating from Eastern Michigan University in 2001, he planned to continue his career with the chain by opening a franchise -- until he took a look at the company's size.
"It had gotten too big and had become sort of impersonal," Fairbanks says. "And that wasn't the kind of company I wanted to be a part of. When I heard about Hungry Howie's, it was exactly what I was looking for."
He thought the Madison Heights, Mich.-based company offered a great product and an established clientele. But he also saw Hungry Howie's growth potential and liked that he could have an impact on the brand's success.
At the time, Hungry Howie's wanted to expand into the Charlotte area, and it tapped Fairbanks to lead the charge. He moved to North Carolina, spending his first three months living in hotels. He worked for nearly a year preparing for the launch.
"By being on site every day and interacting with my customers, I was able to find out exactly what was going on and continually improve my business."
Fairbanks declines to say how much he has invested in his restaurants. It costs $91,000 to $282,000 to open a Hungry Howie's restaurant.
Privately held Hungry Howie's has 571 locations in 23 states. As many as 50 stores are added each year. New markets entered in 2007 include Oregon, Idaho, Mississippi, Utah and Wisconsin. It plans to open in Washington this year.
Reprinted courtesy of the International Franchise Association
