Latest / The Weekly Run / Fit First: The Secret to Franchise Growth | #22
Transcript
- Jeff Perera: Welcome to The Weekly Run, I'm Jeff. Aaron: im aaron Jeff Perera: And today we're talking about what's hot at Jeff's Bingle Run. And right now, Salt Lake City is hot, Aaron. Aaron: It is, it is. Which is something I never thought I'd say, if I'm being honest. Like I don't know Salt Lake City that well. So this is Jeff Perera: It's not known for hot. It's not known for hot and certainly not known for hot bagels or bagels in general, but it's about to be because we just signed a multi store deal in the Salt Lake City, Northern Utah market and I'm hyped for it. Aaron: ⁓ same. ⁓ always when we sort of set the the extents, ⁓ know, further out. I like when we you know, when Vegas and we jumped all the way west like that, that was great. And so it's here's another solid footing ⁓ out there, ⁓ with Salt Lake City. So it's just fun see like you see us push those boundaries. ⁓ Jeff Perera: Yes. Yeah, we're- We are establishing ourselves nicely in the Mountain West. That is... Aaron: Which again, wild, wild to consider. Jeff Perera: Yeah, conceptually, my mind's blown, right? But I am very excited for Jacob and April to the family and drive Just Bagel Run into their community. It's gonna be fantastic. And they're excited too. They are really excited. Aaron: it was a seven store deal, So they're gonna canvas. Is it all in Utah or do they have neighboring areas? Jeff Perera: seven stores. I think it's mostly like Salt Lake surrounding areas so northern Utah. Aaron: Got it. I will say this. The the one the few times that I've been to ⁓ to Utah and Salt Lake is they they like their food there. they like their brands, And so I'm excited for them. I'm excited I'm excited to put the test I mean I'm pretty confident they're gonna love it, but You know, it's a good test for us. They're gonna they're gonna come in and they're gonna evaluate us. Jeff Perera: Yeah, they're testing you. They're definitely gonna love it. think the Salt Lake market is really an entrepreneur's dream. There's been a lot of companies that have started in Salt Lake, come out of the Utah market. It's a bit of an anomaly in that sense that it's so entrepreneurial. I think it has something to probably do with how the city was originally founded and the people moving from the east to the west. Aaron: Mm. Sure. Yeah. Jeff Perera: I don't know. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be in a wagon leaving Chicago being like, yeah, we're just going to go until we stop. And then you get to Salt Lake City and you're like, yeah, I don't think I can go over the next range. This is it. We're just going to set up right here. We got fresh water. We got this. We got that. And now they're going to have bagels. They have everything they need. It's like, that's it. It's perfect. Aaron: І те ус. Yeah, this is good. We're gonna stop here. But now they ha and now they have bagels, so they've really they're co they're done. Jeff Perera: Yeah Aaron: you got to meet that team. I I ⁓ you know, I I don't get to meet every I know you do, but ⁓ I I I didn't get to meet these ones. but ⁓ again it seemed like a really great ⁓ Jeff Perera: Yeah, Jacob and April are great. Met them Las Vegas. They in Las Vegas for the Multinational Franchise Conference. They're franchisees for other brands. own ⁓ and Marcos Pizzas and Tropical Smoothie Cafes I think they've got 30 locations. ⁓ My math might be fuzzy on that. Let's 30 locations. But they are experienced franchisees. ⁓ Aaron: Yeah, seasoned vets. Jeff Perera: They are their pros and they were great. you know, I think one of the things that made me fall in love with them as franchisees was when they came into the store, they immediately just were talking to the team. They were invested in. They were so invested in understanding what the team experience was like, how the opening had been, what was the challenges the team was facing. And it was really cool because as operators, like, you know, they, they kind of. Aaron: ⁓ really? Interesting. Jeff Perera: They would talk the talk around the idea of like, the team makes or breaks you, right? But then here they are showing it. Yeah, it was really, it was cool. ⁓ was really cool. Aaron: it. Yeah. Now that that brings up an interesting sort of question as far as that whole process. And we really haven't talked about that yet on on the ⁓ podcast, but there's a pretty i it's an important process when you you know, it's a it's a two-way street, I guess what I'm trying to say. Between the franchisees that are coming in, they're obviously evaluating us and whether or not we're the business for them, but there's also a fit there and we wanna make sure that the kind of operators that we bring in are gonna be aligned to our vision and our brand and and what we wanna do with these stores. And I think like any good partnership, like the the stronger that is and the more aligned that is, the better the outcomes. what's that process from perspective when when we meet new potential franchisees and and you know, what are those signals that say these guys are gonna be great? Jeff Perera: this is something that ⁓ was foreign to me because coming into this, had never worked in a franchise business before. ⁓ I obviously never been a franchisor. ⁓ And I've been learning a lot of this over the last few years on just what that process looks like. And first and foremost, the thing that amazes me the most is how many businesses we frequent are owned by local franchisees in your community. ⁓ So, I so many of them, you don't even know it. ⁓ Aaron: Yeah. Yeah, without even knowing it. Jeff Perera: You just kind of identify the brand and they deliver on the thing that they say they're gonna deliver on. you don't even realize it's your neighbor that owns it, right? It's kind ⁓ crazy in that respect. But what I think about a lot is what that fit looks like. And so to your point, there are financial standards and expectations that they have to meet. They have all this vetting kind of up into this point where ⁓ we're making a selection on who's gonna be a great Jeffs Bagel or Run franchisee. So you're looking at this like a, as it is a way kind of thing, like it takes two to tango, so to speak, right? Like they have to meet ⁓ certain requirements. We have to want to also do business with them and they have to have that same feeling us, right? all of this happens through the Discovery Day process. ⁓ And for Jeff Bagel Run, we really run a two part Discovery Day process. So we have this virtual Day where Danielle and I our franchise team sits in and tells the story of Jeff Bagel Run. high level overview of where we were, where we are, where we're going, and all the of the pieces that fit into the system. And then if someone's very interested in us still, they will go through some vetting and then show up. And that's where you've interacted with a fair amount of our franchisees in those in-person discovery days where they get a store tour. ⁓ they're the best store tour, eating bagels, talking about the challenges, talking about the things that are Aaron: Yeah. True is so much fun. Jeff Perera: are facing us in our business every day, interacting with our guests, interacting with our team is really, it's super fun. So you love it. love when I enjoy watching you with the potential franchisees. It's so fun. Aaron: It's something that I didn't expect to enjoy. but I d I really enjoy it. And so ⁓ I I didn't expect to like it much ⁓ as I do. ⁓ And I think so much fun it ⁓ is ⁓ as we grow ⁓ and a office and and as the brand as a whole, like we've opened a lot of stores now. I mean we've opened a dozen ourselves. We've got you know, we've opened another twenty plus ⁓ with franchisees. Some of you know that initial magic starts to fade, right? Like it becomes more execution. It's not that giddy excitement that was the s first franchise store, right? Or the second fran you know the second one we opened under the model. And so when you do these discovery days, everybody's so excited. You know? The the potential franchisees are super excited and they're engaged and they think everything's amazing and and ⁓ they haven't confronted any of the hard work that is you know eventually comes with any business. And so it's just Jeff Perera: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Aaron: It's like getting to live that first exciting part of the process over and over again with them. And it's a little like living vicariously ⁓ through them, but I'm always amazed at the people that wanna jump in and do this sort of thing. And just what they bring to the table and how they view it and the questions that they have. Each one's different. Jeff Perera: ⁓ absolutely, and they get to share who they are while learning about us. So along the way, it's really this two-way conversation where there is a ton of getting kind of past the surface level of like what you are, right? this is the, let me walk you back through the kitchen. Hey, first thing I want you to know, like the rule at Jeff Spagel Run is assume everything's hot. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Jeff Perera: When you touch something, if you touch a tray, you touch a rack, if you touch a table, don't lean on this wall because it's an oven, it's not a wall. There's things that when you're touring a kitchen, you've got to be aware of. And if you've been in kitchens, you might be understanding, but if it's new to you, it's a bit of an eye-opening experience to be hit with that. Honestly, you're hit with the aroma of bagels. It's pretty overstimulating, if I'm being honest. You've got... Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Jeff Perera: a chatter with the team, you've got bagels boiling, you've got a bagel roller moving, you've got a machine whipping cream cheese. There's a lot going on in our stores. Aaron: Which I think is great because I just don't think you can't get that from a slide deck or even from video. You have to be in the space, you have to experience it, and and that's gonna be life for you on the next side of this adventure, whether you're seasoned in other businesses or not. Like at the end of the day, Jeff's is unique just like any individual business is unique. So getting to just feel it in flight for a moment and be like, Does this resonate with me? Jeff Perera: No. Thank Aaron: And what I always find funny is that I can't think of a a part one that I've been a part of that people have come back from that experience and been like, ⁓ it's not really for me. You know, everybody's sort of energized by it. There's good energy in the stores, and I'm always proud of that. Jeff Perera: ⁓ definitely. I think the store teams love hosting one because they're showing off. Like they just love it. It's like, look at my store, look at my team, look what I'm doing. So that's always fun. The second component is I think people really, like they want to know how the sausage is made. You know, they want to see what's going on. And so when you've got a baker who is mixing dough, throwing it up on a table, cutting it, putting it in the machine, forming bagels. Aaron: Yeah. Jeff Perera: rolling them to a fridge, putting them, like going through the whole process and you get to watch that and be a part of it. And then go eat one of those hot bangles that just came out of the oven. It's all very, ⁓ it makes it all feel very real. And I think it's all of that, like, yeah, like you said, the slide decks, the videos, all that stuff goes away and suddenly you're like, you're in a place in real life and it makes it that much more palpable, if that's the right word. Aaron: Yeah. It's not theoretical, it's not a spreadsheet. Jeff Perera: feels like an SAT word. Aaron: Well it well, I mean that's that's one of the things too that I think is so powerful and not surprising that that Jacob and April ha you know have signed up is that they got to have a version of that that's probably even more accelerated because they went to a store opening. They didn't go to a controlled environment, meet the team, you know, everybody's prepared. They just rode along on somebody else's first day. Jeff Perera: Yeah, yeah it was. Aaron: ⁓ or second day, whatever it was. And so like that's really seeing how the sauce like this is your experience in eight months, ⁓ whatever. Jeff Perera: Yeah, ⁓ yeah. Yeah, yeah. They got to see kind of like, they didn't see the polished corporate training store. You know, they saw, they saw another franchisee store in a market that's new and ⁓ there were about six weeks post-opening when they visited. So it wasn't like right in the grand opening phase, but, still like newness, right? And challenges and like, how do you drive foot traffic and how do you get, reach out to that market now that you're in that like post grand opening, lusters fading, you know, a little bit. Aaron: Yeah. Day day one. Yeah. Jeff Perera: You're being in the community and your team is remembering people as they come in and they get to experience that. And I think when we talk about that as what Jeff tries to create, but then you see it come to life by someone who's not me, not you, like it's just the team. It feels so real. It feels so real. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. It's actually been an effective model for us, sort of a funny way. Where you'd again, yeah, you'd think we would need to really control this environment. To you to your point. Like you'd think that the mentality would be let's put this in a box, let's polish it, let's let's make a very curated experience. But no, we bring these guys into the chaos of an opening and they still want to join up. So we must be doing something right. Jeff Perera: Yeah, grand opening. Yeah, we're definitely winning when it comes to them experience what that feels like, because ⁓ it's exciting. ⁓ it's also, I know, we about this a lot in Discovery Days, how ⁓ we're going to be as transparent with ⁓ as we can. We're going to be authentic you. And what you see is what you get. ⁓ When I go on rambling about something on Day and danielle's like, Jeff, stop talking. ⁓ Aaron: Yeah. Jeff Perera: an hour and a half left of stuff to cover. Those moments are real and I think because we do it that way, we end up with authenticity coming back. Aaron: Yeah, and and the partners are genuine after that. what's interesting about that too ⁓ is that gives them a sense for how rest of the journey is gonna go. As a young brand, we're still figuring a lot of stuff out. And so when you think about the fact that like hey because it's not like a reduction of polish as the you know, as the honeymoon wears off and the curtain is sort of, you know, you get behind the curtain, it's like, no. ⁓ I mean it's a good point. Like Jeff Perera: Yeah. Aaron: That experience on a virtual call is exact same experience that you're gonna have when you talk to all of us in a store. It's gonna be you know, it's gonna be loose and informal and then when you're in office for your training, it's gonna be the same, you know? And then a year later when you're talking to us over something else, it's gonna be the same. I hope when we do this it gives you a sense for like the real people behind what's going on ⁓ and you don't feel like you're sort of with a faceless entity. Jeff Perera: Yes. Aaron: ⁓ even if it's a little rougher on the edges sometimes. I think like you said, I think being genuine goes a a lot further than being polished. Jeff Perera: Definitely. The reality of what we do in stores ⁓ is we run bakeries. We run, restaurant-like bakeries where we are ⁓ baking bagels, almost order, scooping cream cheese, making coffees. We are in a quick service restaurant environment there is pace, there is volume, there is ⁓ noise and clutter and messy. ⁓ And when you live that versus being told about that, and then you see us in it, it just feels a lot more, it feels more digestible, and listen, I think, you know, Jacob April ⁓ are ⁓ great operators. They did their diligence. They came back to us with lots great questions. ⁓ this isn't like a, they visited the They're like, ⁓ sign me up. Let's do seven stores. Like, no, this is a big financial investment. They're ⁓ smart. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah, it's work here. Jeff Perera: smart, thoughtful, invested, know, individuals who are going to make the right decision for their business and for their market. And I think all of our franchisees do that. You know, this is a, selection process, you know, we talk about like awarding franchises, you know, if someone's really interested and we think they're qualified and they have the right experience and financial backing and they can do all the things, we can award them a franchise. It's like, we're not really selling these things. This is, this business isn't for sale. This business is like, Aaron: Yeah. Jeff Perera: Because it's not for everyone. It's hard, it's hard. And I think we try to show that too. Like this is, like there's... Aaron: Yeah. Yeah, we show the work. It's not some glorified, easy, schemey sort of thing. It's like, no, there's here's an opportunity to help us be a part of this journey and you know and grab a grab a piece of this with us and lift it and I think that's fun and I think that gets the right type of people. I'm curious in your experience doing so many of these at this point, kind of thinking about the the the experience Jeff Perera: That's it. Aaron: faces in the the tranches of it. Have you ever encounter no you obviously no names, but like have you ever encountered people along the way where you're like, ⁓ man, yeah, they're not gonna they're not gonna like coming into a store and seeing it or like you've seen them in store and been like, ⁓ yeah, this was they this is not what they expected. Have you ever had something like that where it just didn't play out? You could see it clearly. that it was not a match. Jeff Perera: aaron I thought we were going be authentic. I thought we were to be authentic. I'm going to name names. Yeah, she's still unsure. Yeah, no, no, she's very sure. You're right. I think because of how clearly we tell our story and talk about our business and how it runs and operates, you do have this, even though it's virtual at first, you do have this like... Aaron: We feel like you got a good one. No geez. It's Danielle, right? Danielle's still not sold. After all these years. Jeff Perera: ability to look into the eyes of this person and say, man, I can tell already this isn't gonna be for you. our goal ⁓ to be partners with franchisees in growing our brand and a business them that ⁓ they can be proud of. Aaron: Yeah. Jeff Perera: someone understanding ⁓ exactly what they're into and realizing that it ⁓ help us helping them realize it might not be them. Aaron: think that's an important part of taking a measured approach to it is that it doesn't do anybody anything if if it's not a match, right? both they're not doing the brand any favors ⁓ if if if we're not a match them, and and certainly ⁓ the the opposite is true if if you know we don't feel as if they're a match, because the outcome's not going to be there. And so you've got frustrated franchisees, you've got a brand that's having to make decisions or or f you know, figure that out. And so avoiding that is just super worth it. Like nothing, store count, all these other things are not worth that bad alignment. And so I've always thought in my previous life in franchising that you know was it was a very measured approach. We're doing it again here. Jeff Perera: ⁓ at least as a franchisee, you know what you're getting. ⁓ This is ⁓ who ⁓ we are, who our leadership team is, and what it looks like. I think in today's world, it ⁓ even complicated there's so much conversation ⁓ in ⁓ our specifically Bagel's quick service around ⁓ private equity and big investment in, like who really owns. Aaron: Yeah. Jeff Perera: these businesses, who really is making these decisions and are they being made for the purpose of growing and creating a business together with a franchise partner or are they being done to just bolster the valuation of a parent company? So it's complicated and again, it is a huge financial decision. know, most people, the biggest financial decision they're gonna make in their life is buying their house. ⁓ If you're a franchisee, Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Jeff Perera: It's definitely thining with a franchisor. It is a huge investment. Aaron: Well and and it's I think it's understated in a lot of ways. It's it's very tantamount to forming a business partnership with another person, Any business relationship is an important relationship. that should take vetting and and you know thoughtful decision making. Jeff Perera: I'm ⁓ glad we do it the way we do ⁓ I'm grateful to have ⁓ experienced people on team who've been around for a long time who are like, is how we do it, this is the reason we do it. And ⁓ I think it's going to pay off in long run as we build great relationships with folks like ⁓ Jacob and April. ⁓ I think we have agreements that have signed in the last couple of weeks. ⁓ Not all of them have been publicly announced, but there's a lot happening. so I think there's just, it's fun to watch the brand grow. We're approaching 200 agreements signed. We've got 35 stores open. I think we did some rough math in our last development meeting. We're probably going to get closer to 58 open by the end of this year, which is... Aaron: Yeah, we got some exciting stuff coming. Just wild, wild. Jeff Perera: Bonkers, So ⁓ I'm I'm grateful for ⁓ the that are on this journey with us. And ⁓ you I think it's fun. mean, ⁓ listen, you're ⁓ interested learning about franchising, there's a ton of information out there. I would get on the internet, look around. ⁓ I someone, ⁓ I can't remember who I was talking to. I wish I remembered some stuff like this, Aaron. It's also blurry. ⁓ Aaron: You gotta walk around with a notebook, man. Jeff Perera: I need a notebook. I was having this conversation. I was talking about how I wished I had known about franchising like in my 20s. You know, I went straight to work for a corporation because I just wanted a paycheck. I wanted to be a W2 employee. I wanted to make sure I had a steady income. You know, I came from an upbringing where, you know, you know, it wasn't always the best, right? And so like we... Aaron: ⁓ right. Yes. Jeff Perera: We had good times, we had bad times, and I watched my dad as an entrepreneur have success and fail, and I didn't want that for my life. I wanted to just have something consistent, something steady, and I went and I got a job. I worked for a big company, and I did that for like 13 years, and after I left that company, I went to work for a bigger company. And so like I wasn't ever looking to open a business and be an entrepreneur, and I think, I know. Aaron: Yeah. Look at you now. Jeff Perera: But if someone had told me about franchising in my 20s, that like, hey, you can like be your own like owner and you could have equity in a business and you could earn, like I think I might have looked at it a lot differently. Aaron: completely agree. I was franchising is such an interesting thing because I don't I don't think most of us understand it. I certainly didn't until I got on the other side of the, you know, the business of it. But yeah, I'm I'm the same way. Like like all of the so much of the entrepreneurial risk is I won't say it's gone, but it's changed and it's shifted and it's realigned in ways that make it so much more appealing than being like, I'm just gonna take this idea and try and take it from zero. You know, it's a big difference. Jeff Perera: Yeah, I think the risk, yes, the risk piece that is kind of carved out of the franchising experience is taking the idea to fruition. Right, like you're sort of at the point where the idea is vetted, it works, here's some data over a period of time that says this is how well it works and why it should work for you if you do this playbook. And man. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Jeff Perera: I just like, I think about my like 20 year old self who was given like a lot of different playbooks to run for big corporations. Like if I had had someone, if I did it, I did it really well. So was like, if someone had handed me a playbook and all I had to do was go find some money to like invest and I don't know. We've talked about this. Our gray hair is creeping up and you know, early, I mean, listen, early 2000 was a, the early 2000s were pretty... Aaron: And you did it. And you did it well. Yeah. Yeah. Jeff Perera: pretty ripe with capital for investment at like 0 % interest rates. So I probably could have got money, you know what mean? It was a lot easier to get money back then. Aaron: And I think the thing that the reframing that 'cause I've been in startups for most of my professional career and I think one of the things that I walked away with from startups in general and entrepreneurialism and and and franchising the thing that people miss is that partnership is so important just in general. ⁓ And with a franchise, you basically get to interview and vet your business partner. with no risk. And like what other environment, like if you do a startup with somebody, you know, you're both taking a gamble, nothing's been proven, them or this or anything else like that. And the same thing, you know, if you kinda go it alone. But like with a franchise, you're guaranteed to have an awesome founding partner. And you get to interview them through this whole vetting process before you even start. Yes. And ⁓ by the way, there's Jeff Perera: ⁓ yeah. Yeah, you learn about them. Yeah. Aaron: dozens to once that's franchises are bigger, hundreds of references you can call on of like this business partner's quality. You can't ask for better than that, you know, in this sort of startup world. Jeff Perera: Yes. And there's legitimate like, well, there's open books. Here you go. Take a look at. Aaron: ⁓ yeah, a and by the way, they'll show you all the financials, you know, before you even start. It's crazy. Jeff Perera: Like, and here's our, yeah, which, you know, I think it does eliminate some of the risk. I think there's obviously always risk involved in any investment, you know, and I don't know, this is purely for entertainment purposes, Aaron, this is not financial advice. I hear people say that on a podcast all the time, I don't know. Investing in a franchise is not for everyone. However, you know, I think it does eliminate some of the risk in that business ownership component and. Aaron: Always. That's good. I d yes. Jeff Perera: when you have some guardrails and playbooks and operational things in place that allow you to go out and maybe do the thing you're really good at. Maybe you're great at marketing and getting invested in the local community and hiring awesome teams. If those are the things you're good at, man, sometimes franchising might be the right play. But if you're a builder, if you're a person who wants to innovate and make changes and do something, maybe franchise isn't for you. So finding that balance is, I know, I wish it had been in Aaron: Yeah. Jeff Perera: I wish it had been presented to me when I was in my 20s as a viable option for a young person graduating college. I was just told to get a job and I was like, I'm getting one. Aaron: While we're thinking of young Jeff, just while he's teed up in our mindspace right now, what would what would twenty year old Jeff lean toward as far as franchise? What would be the franchise that would have gotten like snagged young Jeff? Jeff Perera: ⁓ man. Okay, so you gotta remember like in like the late 90s, early 2000s, ⁓ like Disney Quest, you remember Disney Quest and like all these like arcade centers and like, was Disney, RIP Disney Quest, there was like a ton of, what would you call it? Like little cities, like all those like ⁓ play workplaces, like you had these like almost like hands-on museum type of environments where Aaron: I remember DisneyQuest. Yeah. I missed Disney Quest. Yeah. Jeff Perera: families would come to. I always found like entertaining people was something that I enjoyed. So I think if it was like, I don't know, my mind tells me like I would have opened like a video game arcade or like, don't know, some kind of like edutainment center, I don't know, go-kart track, like batting cages vibe. That's what I was into. I would have loved that. Aaron: Okay. Yeah. Bye, Jim. Jeff Perera: ⁓ yeah, my gym. Yeah, that's a franchise business for sure. Yeah, my gym would have been great. I probably, I mean, I could have done that for sure. Aaron: I could have I I remember the My Gym years. I've done a I've done a birthday party or two. Or a Chuck E. Cheese. Let's just be honest. You could've I don't know if they're a franchise, but I could've see Jeff rocking a Chuck E. Cheese. Twenty year old Jeff slinging pizzas out of the window. Putting on the costume. Jeff Perera: ⁓ no. I went to my... the pregame for my 21st birthday party was at a Chuck E. Cheese. Yes, yes. Because it was like cheap pizza and beer and video games. It was awesome. It was like me and like eight friends. And it's like quitting. You can't quit the podcast in the middle of it. We pregamed at Chuck E. Cheese and then we went out. Aaron: You stop stop Tell ⁓ don't but I no. your stock your personal in my is bonus points for you. The fact that that that happened. Jeff Perera: Chuck E. Cheese at like 8 p.m. is like a ghost town. And so they were just happy to have customers. Aaron: But did you But did you but the real question is did you did you just go in and get pizza and beer and play some games or did you schedule a party and actually get the ticket tornado and all of that? Did you do the ticket tornado? That's then you Jeff Perera: I did not do the ticket tornado. We just went in, we ordered a couple pizzas, we drank some beers, and then played video games and left. ⁓ it was so much fun. It was great. Someone has photographic evidence in like a shoebox under their bed, I guarantee it. Aaron: Did did you really do it? I want Listen, we just need that person to come forward, ⁓ you know, in ten years when this is Jeff Perera: I'm sure they're one of our like 19 listeners, know, they'll be fine. Although we did get some, you know, the Brunson Bagel video that I posted on the internet from the podcast Instagram got a little bit of traction and we caught a few more listeners. So I'm excited. are actually tuning in for this nonsense. Yeah, maybe we can do a pod from Chuck E. Cheese. I don't know. Is Chuck E. Cheese even around still? Aaron: ⁓ clearly, clearly. Hey. Now we just need Chuck E. Cheese cross promotion. There's gotta be. They th they'll never go away. Fun fact, I don't know if you knew this. ⁓ the the the guy that did all the animatronics, you know, the band for Chuck E. Cheese, was from here in Orlando. He's a hometown guy. Yes, he had a warehouse up on like Robinson or whatever. Seriously. It's a it's a local connection to the whatever that band was. You know the band behind the like on the s on the stage, yeah. Jeff Perera: ⁓ yeah, yeah. Seriously? No way! I did not know- What?! I had no idea. Oh yeah, with like the rat was singing in front of... Yeah, like that's on the stage. The rat Chuck E. Cheese. I mean, that actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. We have like lot of, you know, Imagineers and Disney engineers who probably spent a lot of time around animatronics and that's wild. I had no idea. Oh man. I have so many like... Like so, and then obviously like, you know, like kids, we went to Chuck E. Cheese and like... Aaron: Yes. Mm-hmm. Jeff Perera: know, the number of times they touch things and just, it was gross. It's kinda... This is definitely a young man's game too, because now that I have experience with children, I probably would not choose that business. Aaron: Yes. Yeah, I would never choose an arcade or a chucky che no David Busters, no Chuck E. Cheeses, no. Jeff Perera: Although, you know what's open here, and I think it's a franchise, is a company called Urban Air. Are you familiar with them? They have a few locations here in Orlando. It's a giant trampoline, go-kart, arcade park, they do birthday parties. It's really cool. My kids love it. Every time we go, they love it. No, they just jump around. It's great. They come home tired. It's brilliant. It's very loud. Aaron: It's at the trampoline park. That's the that's the new jam. That's just 'cause you're old. Everything's loud to you now. Jeff Perera: ⁓ accurate. ⁓ Aaron, this has been fun talking about franchising and Young Jeff. We should have a whole episode of Young Jeff. Just Young Jeff. Aaron: Just young Jeff. I I think maybe he needs his own pot. Jeff Perera: ⁓ my gosh, that's hilarious. ⁓ fresh, bring joy, build community. We'll see you next week. Aaron: Spin out.