Franchisee Interview: Understanding the Significance of the Franchise Brand and its Protection

Running head: FRANCHISEE INTERVIEW 1
Franchisee Interview
Student’s Name
Institution

FRANCHISEE INTERVIEW 2
Franchisee Interview
Franchisors’ most valuable asset is the brand as customers decide which business to shop
at based on how they perceive different brands. Customers do not care who owns the
organization’s assets. McDonald’s is a perfect example of a premier franchise as the corporation
has grown to a network of more than 35,000 locations in over 100 countries. The franchise was
established in 1940 and has been consistently working with strategic partners since then to
accelerate its growth across diverse markets. Besides, the organization’s president and CEO
Steve Easterbrook has set plans to continue to increase its scale across more markets (Bailey,
2017; “Franchising Overview”, n.d.).
McDonald’s attributes its success to its three-legged stool philosophy, which focuses on
employees, suppliers, and franchisees. The company has been giving opportunities to individuals
and organizations that share the same vision of serving high-quality fast foods through
franchising for more than 50 years. The philosophy influences the operation of McDonald’s,
making it incredibly attractive to many restaurants and business that want to partner with it
(Shimp & Andrews, 2013; Djordjevic, 2015). I have interviewed a strategic McDonald’s
franchisee to access several factors relating to the success of operations of the franchisor. I met
the franchisee, and we planned for an interview during which I asked him questions on the
significance of the business relationship to their restaurants, how McDonald’s protects the
franchise brand, whether he is satisfied with the relationship, and the demerits of the franchise
business. Franchisor-franchisee relations have several disadvantages, and I chose to ask these
questions to get to know the benefits and motivations for developing the relationships.

FRANCHISEE INTERVIEW 3
Why is the Franchise Brand Essential to You?
Franchising is a popular marketing model, and I sought to know why the brand is critical
to the success of the business. The interviewee subsequently explained that new businesses have
problems winning the confidence of clients, and so they need the model to solve the problem. He
added that customers often decide which business to shop at depending on what they know about
the brands. McDonald’s, for example, he stated provides useful information and enforces system
standards to ensure its franchisees meet their business goals. This perspective is perfectly aligned
with the expectations of experts. Research shows that franchise is a marketing tool that enables
business with weak brand identity to reach an already available market (Jones, 2013). “Is the
brand, therefore, the driving force behind customers who travel for several miles an hour to visit
McDonald stores?” I asked the interviewee. He nodded and said that the power of the brand is
such strong. He then added that customers who prefer a certain brand cannot rest until they shop
in an outlet associated with the brand. As such, the interview showed that the franchisor is
working hard to ensure its franchisees deliver on its brand promise, and the franchisees also
benefit from this relationship by getting more customers than other organizations with weak
brand identity.
What is the Best Way to Protect the Franchise Brand?
For any franchise brand including McDonald to succeed, it needs to be protected as there
are often many challenges that they face. Based on this knowledge, I asked the interviewee to
explain how their franchise brand is protected without compromising the conditions of their
franchise agreement. The entrepreneur first stated that McDonald's respects its franchise
agreement. The agreement allows the termination of the franchise rights of any franchise that
compromises the standards of the brand. However, he noted that the brand implements this