Global Franchise 9.1

popular and prominent figures in the culinary world. With his recognizable and trustworthy presence, Taffer now lends credibility to his franchise venture, Taffer’s Tavern, leading to trust from both consumers and investors alike. “Taffer’s Tavern is an ascending brand,” said Jon Taffer. “We’re growing, we’re energetic, we’re promotionally dynamic. But there’s a big difference between our ascending brand and other ascending brands. You see, we’re a national brand before we even started. We have a fan base. We create curiosity. We’re an ascending brand that has the power of a strong existing brand that gives us a competitive advantage. We’re not spending money to build the brand. We’re spending money to build traffic.” Leading lights in franchising When it comes to celebrity franchise owners, not many could rival Shaquille O’Neal in terms of scale and impact. The world- famous basketball player and founder of Big Chicken – the rapidly-expanding sandwich franchise concept – also owns nine Papa John’s, 17 Auntie Anne’s, 27 Krispy Kreme locations as well as an endorsement deal with Papa John’s worth $10 million. And Shaq is a well-seasoned investor. Previously, he owned 155 Five Guys restaurants which he bought for $100 million and sold on in 2016, capitalizing on their increased value. In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Shaq revealed what he found so attractive in franchising. “It’s just partnering up with another reliable, excellent brand. Being in business with people, and just owning stuff.” But Shaq’s not the only entrepreneurial basketball star with business nous. Magic Johnson owns over 100 franchise units across several chains, including Starbucks (his investment group owns over 150 locations, the most operated by any Starbucks franchisee) and T.G.I. Fridays. In 2016 he sold off his 30 Jamba locations – a healthy juice franchise also loved and endorsed by tennis legend and icon Venus Williams, who owns multiple locations in the Washington area. Franchising spans all backgrounds and sectors, and the same is true for its celebrity investors. Actor Mark Wahlberg, along with two of his eight siblings, singer and producer Donnie and chef Paul, owns franchise network Wahlbergers, with more than 90 restaurants across the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The showbiz brothers shrewdly leveraged their brand’s success with a popular reality TV show which aired for 10 seasons, flipping the famous Boston family’s burger joint straight into the homes of millions of fans. Meanwhile multiplatinum artist Chris Brown quietly expanded his business empire with investments in 14 Burger King franchise locations, while Grammy award-winner Megan Thee Stallion made a bigger splash when she recently signed a franchise deal with Popeyes, launching her first location in Louisiana along with her very own hot sauce and co-branded merch, an endorsement that’s significantly enhanced the franchise’s visibility and credibility along with the rapper’s. By aligning themselves with well-known personalities, franchise brands benefit by attracting publicity and new customers, driving sales, and strengthening their market position, but the deal breaks two ways – franchising also offers a new platform for celebs to engage with fans and build deeper connections. “We’re a national brand before we even started. We have a fan base. We create curiosity” Shaq O’Neal, Big Chicken founder Mark Wahlburg, Wahlburgers Venus Williams, Jamba investor Megan Thee Stallion, Popeyes franchisee GLOBAL-FRANCHISE.COM 55