First-Time Owners on Teriyaki Madness Training and Support

This Teriyaki Madness video, titled No Restaurant Experience Required, focuses on owners who came to the brand with little or no background in food service and explains how the support system helped them succeed.

Several franchisees say they had never worked in a restaurant before. One admits she did not even know how to count cash when she started. Others came from backgrounds in criminal justice, policy development and finance. They describe the work as approachable, with no need for culinary training, because the processes and tools are already in place.

Support from the corporate office is the central theme. Owners say the team was with them every step of the way, staying in constant contact and walking them through every process. One franchisee says the team makes you feel like their only owner rather than one of many. Another describes a discovery day in Denver where the corporate team was transparent about everything.

Site selection is singled out as a major area of help. One owner calls it about 80 percent of the decision because location drives traffic and customers, and says the brand's guidance was invaluable for someone without industry experience. Franchisees also mention training that covers both front and back of house, back-office support and an assigned business coach.

The results speak for the system. One couple celebrated their first anniversary with what they describe as the largest catering order in the system at the time, 1,800 bowls in a day. Another owner now runs four shops and says he would never have opened a restaurant alone.