June 10, 2014 To the Editor: Your article on Best and Worst Franchises is hard to take seriously, most obviously because you relied solely on sterile data and made no attempt to engage in a productive dialogue with the brands or any actual franchisees. In our case, Bennigan's Franchising Company is the organization that, for the last six years, has pulled the brand out of the abyss of Chapter 7; not put it in. We are on an extraordinary comeback trail and it is insulting to our corporate team and franchisees to see our iconic brand misplaced in your franchise rankings. Having reviewed the methodology followed by FRANdata to arrive at its dubious conclusions, I have to say I am extremely disappointed. We all know that numbers can be manipulated to say whatever you want them to say, but how can you ignore the fact that your 2008-2012 time frame essentially compares two entirely different companies? The previous owners of Bennigan's took the company into Chapter 7 in mid-2008, closing more than 200 restaurants literally overnight. Since I took the helm of the "new" Bennigan's in 2011, we have steadily rebuilt our domestic and international network to the point that we are once again one of the very best franchise operations in our industry. Here's a fact that makes a mockery of Forbes' rankings: Bennigan's Franchising Company has signed franchise commitments that will double the size of our system (to well over 150 restaurants) within the next few years! Contrary to the arbitrary snapshot in time you surveyed, the new Bennigan's is experiencing the very definition of sustained growth and continuity. We are transparent (did you even bother to read our current FDD?). And, we are once again lender-friendly. If anyone bothered to speak with any of our franchisees, it would become immediately obvious that your data is not supported in the real world and you would have heard a very different story than that portrayed in your article. These exceptional men and women are an integral part of the dramatic renaissance of the Bennigan’s brand, and the vast majority are experiencing great success. Dozens more are in the process of joining them, from coast to coast and around the world. We take the investment of their hard-earned money very seriously and work hard to deliver compelling returns on that investment. Our franchisees are galvanized by our positive and open communication, world-class support, collective and participative leadership and a keen focus on continuously
To the Editor: Your article on Best and Worst Franchises is hard
to take seriously, most obviously because you relied solely on
sterile data and made no attempt to engage in a productive dialogue
with the brands or any actual franchisees. In our case, Bennigan's
Franchising Company is the organization that, for the last six
years, has pulled the brand out of the abyss of Chapter 7; not put
it in. We are on an extraordinary comeback trail and it is
insulting to our corporate team and franchisees to see our iconic
brand misplaced in your franchise rankings. Having reviewed the
methodology followed by FRANdata to arrive at its dubious
conclusions, I have to say I am extremely disappointed. We all know
that numbers can be manipulated to say whatever you want them to
say, but how can you ignore the fact that your 2008-2012 time frame
essentially compares two entirely different companies? The previous
owners of Bennigan's took the company into Chapter 7 in mid-2008,
closing more than 200 restaurants literally overnight. Since I took
the helm of the "new" Bennigan's in 2011, we have steadily rebuilt
our domestic and international network to the point that we are
once again one of the very best franchise operations in our
industry. Here's a fact that makes a mockery of Forbes' rankings:
Bennigan's Franchising Company has signed franchise commitments
that will double the size of our system (to well over 150
restaurants) within the next few years! Contrary to the arbitrary
snapshot in time you surveyed, the new Bennigan's is experiencing
the very definition of sustained growth and continuity. We are
transparent (did you even bother to read our current FDD?). And, we
are once again lender-friendly. If anyone bothered to speak with
any of our franchisees, it would become immediately obvious that
your data is not supported in the real world and you would have
heard a very different story than that portrayed in your article.
These exceptional men and women are an integral part of the
dramatic renaissance of the Bennigans brand, and the vast majority
are experiencing great success. Dozens more are in the process of
joining them, from coast to coast and around the world. We take the
investment of their hard-earned money very seriously and work hard
to deliver compelling returns on that investment. Our franchisees
are galvanized by our positive and open communication, world-class
support, collective and participative leadership and a keen focus
on continuously
improving our marketing, operations, supply chain, menu, unit
economics and profitability. With all due respect, you have done
our franchisees and our brand a severe injustice. The Bennigans of
2014 arguably belongs among Americas 10 Best Franchising Brands. We
await your apology and retraction.
Paul M. Mangiamele CFE President & Chief Executive Officer
Bennigans Franchising Company
