We’re seeking KFC franchise candidates with a future vision to be an operator of at least five to 10 restaurants. KFC is looking for candidates that will commit to building three units over their first three to five years in the system. In the early days of quick service restaurant (QSR) development, franchisees generally opened a single restaurant and operated that restaurant solely until the end of their franchise career. In today's environment, this has changed. Most larger QSR franchisors are seeking franchisees with the aptitude and capability for multi-unit restaurant ownership and development.

Building or buying multiple restaurants enables you to achieve scale in your operations and this could result in a number of advantages. First, you leverage your expertise. Opening the initial restaurant of any concept requires a learning curve, including proper understanding of perfect product production, management processes and system communication procedures. Opening additional restaurants utilizes this same knowledge, which could make future openings less complicated. Many of the steps remain the same and a franchisee's previous opening experience serves as valuable know-how when the process is repeated.

Another advantage of multi-unit restaurant ownership could be that it offers growth opportunities for a franchisee's high-potential restaurant operators. In a single unit operation, upwardly mobile restaurant managers have nowhere to go – they need to leave the organization if they want to become a restaurant general manager. In a growing multi-unit operation, these team members have the opportunity to move along a career path with increasing levels of responsibility. Many KFC franchisees note that one motivation for them to grow came from a desire to provide personal growth opportunities for their best employees.

Building operational scale can also deliver other benefits. Larger operators can qualify for quantity discounts and leverage their size with local service providers. Multi-unit operators have the ability to increase overall organization stability by broadening the base of their operations and by spreading their overhead costs against multiple restaurants. Many speak of developing restaurants in pods of six to seven. Once you have made the investment in an Above Store Leader to manage multiple restaurants, the next few restaurants experience less cost from an overhead perspective. When a franchisee has added Above Store Support, it can free up some of their time to focus on some of the other needs of the business.

KFC /Yum! Brands is actively seeking franchisee prospects that want to be multi-unit KFC franchise operators. We have helped establish many of the largest multi-unit operators in the U.S. franchise business. KFC currently has more than 350 multi-unit franchisees; more than 150 of these operate more than five restaurants. In Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine's recent listing of the Top 99 largest multi-unit franchisees, 43 operate at least one of the Yum! portfolio of brands.