It’s been a while since our original list of 10. Here’s another round of random and interesting facts from the franchise world you may not have known.
1. Queen Elizabeth II of England owns a drive-through McDonald's near Buckingham Palace as part of her real estate portfolio. The McDonald’s is part of a retail park Her Majesty acquired in 2008.
2. Denny’s was originally called Danny’s Donuts. However, after one year of operation the menu had expanded beyond doughnuts. The name was eventually changed when the founders began expanding. The name Danny’s Donuts wasn’t available everywhere, and it was being confused with an existing coffee chain.
3. After setting a record for her 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida, Diana Nyad recovered by drinking Dairy Queen milkshakes. Her mouth was damaged from the salt water so she “stayed away from food for a week.”
4. According to the Wall Street Journal, Jimmy John's founder, Jimmy John Liautaud, once spent $42,500 for a private tour of the guitar collection of U2 guitarist Dave Evans aka “The Edge.”
5. Unsurprisingly, the United States has the greatest number of franchise brands operating within its borders with about 2,500.
6. Pizza Patron executives received death threats in 2007 after they announced the chain would accept Mexican pesos for payment.
7. Friendly’s Ice Cream set a Guinness World Record for the “World's Largest Dessert Party” in July 2013 by serving ice cream to 794 people in a tent. The event was designed to have the look and feel of a classic ice cream social, and was held at the company’s headquarters in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.
8. Children’s hair cuttery Snip-its’ founder Joanna Meiseles is the granddaughter of legendary comedian Jack Benny. Meiseles used her inheritance from Benny to start the franchise.
9. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Hotel Statler Buffalo (later purchased by Conrad Hilton) was the one of, if not the, first luxury hotel in the United States to offer guest private baths and complimentary soap in 1908.
10. Cinnabon partnered with the Pinnacle vodka brand for a line of Cinnabon-flavored vodka. The vodka was introduced to select markets in December 2013 and launched nationwide on January 1, 2014.