Good morning Wolf Pack,

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Hard to believe we only have 35 days left until 2024 🤯

Let's make them count!

Today's edition is a tasty visit to Fuddruckers, which has been on quite a roller coaster. Enjoy the update!

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DEEP DIVE

What Happened to Fuddruckers?

The Beginning of Fudds

Fuddruckers, "World's Greatest Hamburgers", started franchising in 1984. They’ve now gone through 8 owners in their bumpy 44 year history.

The concept was originally founded in San Antonio, in 1980 because the founder, Philip Romano, thought the world needed better burgers.

Freshness was king for this upscale fast casual burger chain - their 100% premium beef patties were ground onsite, buns baked daily in stores, with fresh toppings you could see…and go crazy with at the toppings bar.

Plus… unlimited cheese sauce 🤤

Philip Romano left Fuddruckers in 1988 when they hit 150 stores, to form Romano’s Macaroni Grill.

In his own words, "I just felt I had done all I could do for the concept, and it was time for me to step down and do other things I wanted to do."

Trouble

Fuddruckers overextended fast in the 80s and 90s, which is where its losses started piling up.

At its height, Fuddruckers had 500 franchises spanning the US, all designed around freshness you could smell, taste, and see.

Literally: you could watch the butcher go at it in the designated butcher shop area as you waited for your order, or take a deep inhale at the bakery section.

Granted, Fuddruckers stopped emphasizing their fresh proof of concept in the 1990s. But they did try to up the foot traffic after 4 PM, when kids ate free, developing a kid friendly reputation, and nostalgia for us all.

Even so, the 2008 recession directed consumers away from fast-casual expensive premium alternatives like Fuddruckers to cheap fast food like McDonald’s.

They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010. This is when Houston-based cafeteria operator Luby’s acquired the franchise. But thanks to the cafeteria style of dining…going out of style first, and then a global pandemic second, Luby’s decided to sell Fuddruckers and shut down its operations in 2020.

The Power of Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

It was the initial lure for Fuddruckers franchisee Nicholas Perkins, who in 2021 stepped up to the plate to buy the brand through his Black Titan Franchise Systems in a deal estimated at $18.5M in 2021.

Now, Fuddruckers boasts more than 100+ locations across the nation. Owner #8: trying to turn around the world’s greatest hamburger franchise.

What’s the opposite of nostalgia? ~The future~

FRANCHISE HEADLINES

Dirty Dough, Crumbl Reach Settlement Regarding Trade Secrets

The cookie wars are coming to a close—or at least losing intensity—following a settlement between Crumbl and Dirty Dough.

Crumbl, the cookie franchise taking the country and the internet by storm in recent years, sued Dirty Dough in June 2022 for allegedly stealing and misappropriating trade secrets—a move Dirty Dough CEO Bennett Maxwell said was to stifle competition. Crumbl accused Dirty Dough of stealing and misusing 66 recipes and information about sales statistics, process improvement and recipe experiments, according to court documents.

Chicken Salad Chick Acquires Atlanta Bakery Piece of Cake

The menu at Chicken Salad Chick is about to get sweeter.

The 245-unit franchise acquired Atlanta-based Piece of Cake November 1. Piece of Cake has stores in the Atlanta area and bakes cakes at one bakery before shipping them out to its 10 retail locations twice a day. Now, Chicken Salad Chick will serve a handful of flavors by the slice and as whole cakes at its stores nationwide.

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