Made with FlowPaper - Flipbook Maker
$4.95 U.S. • $5.95 Canada • PERIODICALS The News and Information Source for Franchisingwww.franchisetimes.com MARCH 2026 TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT PIZZA FRANCHISES TACKLE AUTOMATION ARE VIRTUAL BRANDS STILL PROFITABLE? 10 TOP BRANDS TO EXPLORE ZOR AWARDS PRESENTS EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE BUYER RESEARCH Playa Bowls franchisees Brett and Amy Coleman inside one of their stores in Columbus, Ohio. Playa Bowls is one of 10 winners in Franchise Times’ annual Zor Awards project.UPFRONT 8 We check out three experience brands so you don’t have to, in FT Undercover By FT Staff 10 Strategic sourcing propels iSmash’s national expansion By Alyssa Huglen 11 Transom buys WellBiz Brands, in FT Online By FT Staff 12 LeanNation embraces food, fitness By Matthew Liedke 14 Zaxbys franchisees restart growth By Joe Halpern 15 Bricks & Minifigs levels up with Lego By Alyssa Huglen 16 Interior design brand sets the stage By Emilee Wentland 17 Alsies adds tech to ice cream trucks, in The Upstart By Alyssa Huglen COVER STORY 18 Prospective franchisees shouldn’t have to hunt for reliable information on their franchise investment. Use our annual Zor Awards project, which identifies a winning brand in each of 10 categories based on profitability to the operator, to do the research before buying in. By Joe Halpern, Alyssa Huglen, Matthew Liedke, Laura Michaels and Emilee Wentland Additional research by Matt Haskin $4.95 U.S. • $5.95 Canada • PERIODICALS The News and Information Source for Franchising www.franchisetimes.com MARCH 2026 TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT PIZZA FRANCHISES TACKLE AUTOMATION ARE VIRTUAL BRANDS STILL PROFITABLE? 10 TOP BRANDS TO EXPLORE ZOR AWARDS PRESENTS EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE BUYER RESEARCH Playa Bowls franchisees Brett and Amy Coleman inside one of their stores in Columbus, Ohio. Playa Bowls is one of 10 winners in Franchise Times’ annual Zor Awards project. CONTENTS ON THE COVER 18: Playa Bowls franchisees Brett and Amy Coleman 16: Linden Creek CEO Alisa Sparks 24: Drybar multi-unit franchisee Cynthia Maxwell 17: Ice cream truck franchise Alsies MARCH ‘26 Volume 32 Issue 3 Cover photo by Sarah PfeiferMARCH ‘26 VOLUME 32 ISSUE 3 55: Multi-unit Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory franchisee Tyson Minnick 60: Mountain Mike’s Pizza President Sumi Ghosh 59: Emerging fried chicken franchise Birdcall FITNESS FINANCE & GROWTH 41 UFC Gym fights to distinguish its brand position By Joe Halpern TOOLKIT 45 Pizza brands invest in robotics to stay competitive By Matthew Liedke 48 ‘Zors add virtual brands to drive sales By Emilee Wentland INTERNATIONAL 51 TGI Fridays builds upon its successful run in Peru By Laura Michaels 52 Peru’s franchise sector sees growth By Laura Michaels NEWS & VIEWS 55 Longtime franchisee expands Rocky Mountain’s reach By Matthew Liedke 59 New Birdcall ‘zees expand in Denver By Matthew Liedke COLUMNISTS 63 FAT Brands files for bankruptcy with $1.4B debt, lawsuits and delisting By Emilee Wentland 64 Proactive engagement with the lending community will win deals By Alicia Miller 65 Shrink complexity and prove profit. Watch these 6 tech trends in 2026. By Nicholas Upton IN EVERY ISSUE 6 First Things First 50 Scoreboard 60 Executive Ladder 66 Grab BagFor more information visit us at www.restfinance.com March 23-24, 2026 Sponsored by The Restaurant Real Estate Series is the Restaurant Finance Monitor’s educational event focused on bringing world-class real estate knowledge to multi-unit restaurant executives. Attendees will learn how to develop an effective real estate department of their own to accelerate growth, lower risk and gain a competitive edge. The series will cover topics ranging from site selection, lease negotiations, lease accounting, sale-leasebacks and structuring your real estate department. We’ll bring the full range of topics to you via a free 2-day online webinar series. Restaurant Real Estate SeriesI t’s an oft-used metaphor that buying a franchise is like getting married: Once you sign those papers, you are together, franchisee and franchisor, through thick and thin. And if you want to part before the contract is up, the divorce is expensive and painful—just like for spouses. Making the correct decision is paramount for both franchisee and franchisor so they can co-exist in a mutually beneficial franchise relationship. In this month’s issue of Franchise Times, we present our annual Zor Awards, the culmination of a months-long research project to select the top franchises to buy in 10 categories. Our editorial team focuses on return on investment, which means profitability for the operator instead of top-line sales. For some franchisees, franchisor coaching and support has been crucial to their success. “These people are just ready to be on call 24/7,” said Gagan Batta, a four-unit Handel’s Ice Cream fran- chisee, speaking out his franchisor. “They take ownership in what they do within their department. It’s been really surprisingly easy to work with. They really provide full, complete support.” Handel’s was the top pick in the Sweet Tooth category. It’s also in the services these brands provide. It’s “the detailed data and analytics reports it puts out for us operators and how it’s using them to drive sales growth,” said Irfaan Lalani, the CEO and co-founder of Vibe Restaurants, a Wingstop franchisee with 89 locations. “The company is using those types of tools to help us make better decisions on everything we do on the store level and it’s making a big difference.” Wingstop topped our Fly the Coop category. Plus, he told FT Senior Writer Joe Halpern, recent technology upgrades have been key, with the fran- chisor even providing artificial intelligence tools “to forecast demand in 15-minute increments based on 100-plus data points like weather and other local events.” Successful franchisors also look to provide products and services to enhance franchisee business during lean times. Drybar, a hair blowout salon, is putting resources behind membership growth to balance out the uber-busy weekends. “… you don’t get to crazy Saturday without figuring out how to fill up Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” Drybar franchisee Amy Ross told FT Editor in Chief Laura Michaels. “Because this model will not work if you are only busy Thursday, Friday and Saturday.” The franchisor also is pushing out marketing to support add-on services and tie-ins with the latest hairstyle trends. On the flip side of this marriage, franchisees need to be willing to put in the hours. It doesn’t matter how good the brand is; if an operator doesn’t put in the time, the business will falter. “You gotta connect with the local community—the fundraising, sponsorships, giving back to the commu- nity, and staying ahead of the curve to establish the brand within the community you’re serving,” Handel’s franchisee Batta said. And, franchisees are buying a plan. Follow it, advised franchisees interviewed for this feature. For Play It Again Sports franchisee Lynne Pisan, “It became very clear if we wanted to be as successful as we knew this business could be, it was very much not a side business. We get calls all the time [from potential fran- chisees], and the expectation is, ‘I’m going to start it and step away right away’ … we’re very strong believers in the fact that it’s been so successful because of how hands-on we’ve been.” Handel’s Ice Cream franchisee Christina Ferguson probably said it best: “They have a proven track record, so why not?” Top franchises provide more than moral support FIRST THINGS FIRST Volume 32, Issue 3 Publisher/Vice President: Mary Jo Larson mlarson@franchisetimes.com Associate Publisher Lucas Wagner lwagner@franchisetimes.com Editor in Chief: Laura Michaels lmichaels@franchisetimes.com Managing Editor: Emilee Wentland ewentland@franchisetimes.com Senior Writers: Joe Halpern jhalpern@franchisetimes.com Matthew Liedke mliedke@franchisetimes.com Reporter: Alyssa Huglen ahuglen@franchisetimes.com Senior Graphic Designer: Joe Veen ads@franchisetimes.com National Sales Director: Kevin Pietsch kpietsch@franchisetimes.com Sales Support: Jenny Raines jraines@franchisetimes.com Digital Marketing/Web Development: Adam Griepentrog adamg@franchisetimes.com Emma Barry ebarry@franchisetimes.com Allison Olson aolson@franchisetimes.com Conference Services: Gayle Strawn Rachel Tegethoff Alie Leonard Production Staff: Steve Hamburger, Manager Steve Schmidt Accounting: Matt Haskin, Controller Jill Evans Franchise Times Corp. Continental Franchise Review® John Hamburger, President To contact Franchise Times: Franchise Times Corp. 2808 Anthony Lane South Minneapolis, MN 55418 www.franchisetimes.com Phone: (612) 767-3200 Fax: (612) 767-3230 Advertising/Classifieds: Call (612) 767-3200 Subscriptions: Subscription rate is $35 per year, $59 for two years. To order, change address or other customer service, call (612) 767-3200. Franchise Times reserves the right to decline subscription/back issue requests. Reprints and back issues: To order, call (612) 767- 3202. Back issues are $9.95 plus shipping. Reproductions of any kind are not authorized. It is a violation of copyright law to reproduce all or part of this publication or its contents. Franchise Times (ISSN 1530-3748) is published 10 times per year (monthly except for combined issues June/ July and November/December) by Franchise Times Corp., 2808 Anthony Lane South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418. Periodicals Postage Paid at St. Paul, Minnesota and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Franchise Times, 2808 Anthony Lane South, Minneapolis, MN 55418 Entire contents copyright ©2026. Publications mail agreement No. 40064408. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Express Messenger International, P.O. Box 25058, London BRC, Ontario, Canada N6C 6A8. Publisher Reach Mary Jo at 612-767-3208 or mlarson @ franchisetimes.comApril 27-28, 2026 Let’s talk growth with top dealmakers. Join Franchise Times and Restaurant Finance Monitor editors as they discuss some of the year’s biggest deals with the people who made them happen. During each one- hour session, we’ll explore amazing careers and strategies for driving growth, while learning what it takes to get these major franchise deals across the finish line. www.franchisetimes.com SPONSORED BY M&A • VALUATION • FINANCING • DEALMAKERS AWARDS8 Franchise Times | March 2026 BRAND INTELLIGENCE We check out three experience brands so you don’t have to H ighly coveted Labubu plushies, Funko Pop figures and other gimmicky toys galore. By maneuvering the motor- ized claw just right, there’s at least a chance of winning a prize at Fantasy Claw Arcade (A). The arcade concept, with a handful of locations including two in Las Vegas, wants to capital- ize on a claw machine craze that emerged in Japan and has taken hold in the United States. Tokens cost $1, and at the arcade near Planet Hollywood, most games required two or four tokens. And with some multi-player claws, there’s even a bit more competition involved. After $10 worth of tries, it was time to give up, but plenty of other customers appeared com- mitted to snagging something—or at least kids weren’t quitting anytime soon. Fantasy Claw Arcade aims to appeal to families looking for some entertainment and adults in search of a dose of nostalgia. As the claw machine boom continues, more franchises are popping up, including ClawCade and Clawzania, and they’ll have plenty of competition from other arcades that are upping their claw games. The upshot: Wall-to-wall claw machines can keep customers entertained for hours or mere minutes. It just depends how much cash they want to burn through. —L.M. I love an activity. Sure, dining out or grab- bing drinks with friends is a good time, but I’ll take any excuse to let my creativity run wild. Enter Color Me Mine (B), a paint-your-own pottery franchise with more than 130 loca- tions. It’s the perfect craft for a small group, or you can go alone like I did. An employee greeted me and showed this newbie the ropes. First, you pick a ceramic—which ranged from cups and plates to bongs and dog bowls—then you pick as many paint colors as you’d like. The brand’s website has some templates and inspiration, but I saw people with Pinterest pulled up to guide them. Most items I saw were in the $30 to $50 range, plus the $10 studio fee. My serving plate project came to less than $41. Considering I spent two hours there, in part due to decision paralysis, that felt like a great price. Come early because they don’t take reservations, and these studios fill up quickly—which is great for franchisees, but not necessarily for customers. I tried to visit a different studio the day before with friends, but they didn’t have space for us around 4 p.m. when we got there. The upshot: Color Me Mine is a great alterna- tive to dinner for date night, a family outing or a friend hangout. —E.W. T he mountain vistas of Yellowstone Club in Montana appeared almost within reach. One swing and a major slice to the right later, however, and the tree trunks of whitebark pines were the only things in view. So it goes for the novice golfer, but the experience at Five Iron Golf (C) is still fun. The indoor golf simulator franchise got its start in New York City in 2017 and has 35 domestic locations and five international units. It’s up against a growing number of franchise competitors, including X-Golf, The Back Nine and Swing Bays. The Five Iron location in downtown Minneapolis, a conversion of an independent golf simulator business, was bustling during happy hour on a Friday. Some people were there for the golf, others for the $5 all-you-can eat wings and beer specials. The brand touts its Trackman simulators with 450- plus famed golf courses and games for all skill levels. A 90-minute simulator rental cost $120, which feels steep at first but is actually cheap entertainment when split between six people. Members get simulator access, plus discounts on club fittings, instruction and more. The upshot: Five Iron caters to serious golfers and novices alike, with high-quality food and beverage offerings. —L.M. Ever wonder how consumers feel about your franchise? Editorial staffers Laura Michaels, Joe Halpern, Matthew Liedke, Alyssa Huglen and Emilee Wentland check out three brands in a different genre each issue, and report back. The Fitness Finance & Growth Conference connects franchisors, franchisees, lenders, investors and service providers in a professional business and networking setting. Attendees will meet, network and get an inside look at the issues, challenges and opportunities fitness brands face as they grow their companies. Register today! SPONSORED BY Register at www.franchisetimes.com/fitness-finance/conference FITNESS FINANCENext >