Franchise Updates
3 Recession-Proofing Strategies to Keep Your Breakfast Franchise Ownership Dreams Alive in 2023
Buckle up, everybody — according to financial experts, we may be in for a bit of a bumpy ride in 2023. If you’ve been dreaming of going into business for yourself by opening a trendy and delicious healthy restaurant in your community, you might think this means you need to put those goals on hold. We’re here to tell you to think again! Unlike other breakfast franchises and healthy franchises in the restaurant and hospitality space, Toastique’s Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar not only launched in 2020 during a global pandemic, but continued to grow and thrive as other concepts were shutting their doors for good. Needless to say, the Toastique corporate leadership team knows a thing or two about how to ensure the organic juice bar or sandwich franchise of your dreams is equipped to weather just about any economic storm that blows its way, and they’ve agreed to share some of their top tips with prospective breakfast Franchise Owners like you. Let’s dive in! A Bit of Background About Our Healthy Breakfast Franchise As we mentioned above, Toastique got its franchising start during a period in history that was notoriously bad for the restaurant industry. Founder Brianna Keefe opened the doors to her first Toastique location in the bustling Wharf District of Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2018, just 40 days from the start of her organic juice bar’s buildout. With the constant foot traffic from hungry tourists and businesspeople in the area, Toastique quickly became a local hit, generating over $1 million in revenue in its first year, without a single penny spent on advertising! Buoyed by the immense success of her flagship location, Brianna opened two more Toastique cafés in the Washington, D.C. area and began looking into franchising her concept. Then in 2020, tragedy struck the restaurant industry in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic. Restaurants across the country were forced to close their dine-in eating areas during lockdown, and those who were unable to successfully pivot their business model to carryout or delivery were not able to remain open at all. Fortunately, the grab-and-go nature of Toastique’s menu items, along with the simple, scalable operations that require only a couple of workers at minimum, allowed Brianna and company to continue earning revenue by serving gourmet toasts, juices, smoothies and more on a to-go basis. Their natural ability to thrive during one of the worst things to happen to the restaurant industry in history helped Brianna and the rest of the Toastique team move forward with their plans for opening breakfast franchise locations across the United States, in a big way! In just three short years, Toastique went from one little location to a whopping 66 cafés nationwide, with more on the way. Because most of this impressive growth notably occurred during the pandemic, it’s safe to say the healthy franchise’s leadership team knows what it takes to not just survive but thrive in the face of a recession. Now, let’s get to the team’s tips for entrepreneurs who are looking to make a big splash in the healthy franchise industry regardless of what the economy is doing: Tip #1: Keep it Simple When investing in a restaurant concept, it’s important to account for the overhead expenses you will be putting in before you start to turn a profit. For example, renting or buying a space for a large casual-dining type of restaurant with tens of tables, a full kitchen and more, can be extremely costly. By opting for a restaurant concept that minimizes some of these overhead costs, you can get on the road to profitability faster. Two really easy ways to do this include investing in a concept that requires a much smaller footprint than an average restaurant, and keeping your menu simple. Sandwich franchises, for example, might have 15 different items on the menu, but all are made with roughly the same ingredients in various combinations and none of them require expensive, complex kitchen equipment to prepare. Additionally, by using fresh ingredients that are delivered regularly by local produce vendors, you can cut back on the need for storage space and eliminate other costly equipment such as freezers or industrial-size refrigerators. Toastique’s breakfast franchise model accomplishes both of these things. The small footprint of our cafés means that our Franchise Owners can open in prime locations without the exorbitant cost of larger restaurant spaces. A Toastique café can comfortably fit in just about any strip mall or storefront in trendy locations with high foot traffic. Franchise Owners get the benefit of a highly visible café location with an enticing appearance and enjoyable atmosphere without the hefty monthly rent or mortgage that can accompany a larger restaurant. Not only is our footprint about as big as an average coffee shop, but our business operations are nearly as simple! With the exception of a professional-grade juicer, our breakfast Franchise Owners are able to open their cafés with next to no special equipment. In addition to the gourmet toasts that have put us on the map, along with all-natural smoothies and juices, the Toastique menu contains few other items. Everything can be prepared on the counter, right in front of customers, with no need for a chef, line cooks or additional kitchen staff on the payroll. The grab-and-go nature of our breakfast franchise also eliminates the need to hire a wait staff, which helps put money back in your pocket. Best of all, just about everything we make and serve is fresh, locally sourced and requires little to no long-term storage. This not only helps our Franchise Owners cut back on expensive overhead costs but also allows them to ensure they are using only the highest-quality ingredients for each menu item they prepare. It’s also a great feeling for our Franchise Owners to know they are helping to put money back into their own communities by supporting local vendors. It’s a win-win! Keeping your operations simple is a great way to be sure you aren’t biting off more than you can chew when following your dream of restaurant ownership. Toastique has perfected the art of opening cafés that are head and shoulders above other breakfast franchises in terms of quality and atmosphere without breaking the bank, and we’re happy to show you how to do it in your community when you pre-qualify for our Franchise Discovery Process. Check it out now. Tip #2: Tap Into a Niche Market Let’s face it: this country is overrun with fast-food franchises. It’s hard to walk a full block without running into a burger joint or fried chicken place. However, the public demand for healthy franchises in their areas has grown steadily over the past decade, and is projected to continue growing through the 2020s. With nearly half of consumers across all demographics stating they planned to start eating healthier in a 2022 study, it’s clear that people are clamoring for quick, easy and convenient ways to accomplish their health goals, yet the need for quick-serve healthy franchises remains largely unmet. Instead of hopping on the tired fast-food bandwagon, why not pursue your restaurant ownership dreams by opening a café that caters to health-minded individuals? If you do, you might just be the only place in town that can offer them delicious gourmet toasts, juices, smoothies and more on the go. By tapping into an underserved market like healthy franchises, you’re eliminating a great deal of competition, which can help give your sales a boost, especially when you’re first starting out. Think about it: what kind of restaurant is going to get the people in your neighborhood more excited — another typical fast-food franchise or a unique place that offers healthy, fresh foods prepared and served with care? The Toastique leadership team can tell you that our Franchise Owners are met with enthusiasm, excitement and great anticipation in every market we’ve opened so far. At our recent grand openings in Hoboken, New Jersey and Colorado Springs, Colorado, the line to get in stretched around the block — that’s how eager people were to try everything Toastique’s Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar has to offer. You’re not likely to see that kind of reaction for the grand opening of a run-of-the-mill franchise that only offers burgers and fries. In fact, way back in 2018 when the first Toastique opened, our highly Instagrammable gourmet toast creations, juices and smoothies created such a stir in the Washington, D.C. area that Brianna Keefe and company were able to build brand awareness and generate excitement without spending a single penny on advertising! When people saw the healthy, delicious menu choices we offered, they were hooked. No need for catchy jingles, slogans or ads to get Toastique into people’s brains — they just wanted what they saw being made fresh to order: unique toast creations that are as good to eat as they are good for you! By opening a healthy franchise like Toastique, you can stand out from the rest of the pack and tap into something that’s still sadly lacking in many suburban communities — good, healthy food that puts the focus on wellness without taking away the flavor. That standout presence in your community can translate to continued healthy revenue regardless of the economy. Tip #3: Have a Strong Support System Opening a restaurant on your own isn’t easy; in fact, a number of independent restaurateurs can tell you that it’s a series of headaches, hard work and stress that never really goes away, no matter how many years you’ve been in business. To get Toastique off the ground, our own Brianna Keefe put hours upon hours of hard work into making her healthy café a success. Going through the typical struggles of opening and operating a restaurant helped her and her partner, Kyle Izett, learn to effectively troubleshoot common pain points and discover workable solutions for a more streamlined experience for their Franchise Owners. Knowing what could go wrong at a restaurant and using their experience to help them perfect their breakfast franchise model has created a better experience for their investors. Today’s Toastique healthy franchise investors undergo a comprehensive training program including classroom learning and onsite training to get a hands-on feel for operations. That’s not all — while other breakfast franchises might leave their new owners in the dust after their grand opening has come and gone, your Toastique Franchise Owner support team is there for the long run with bi-weekly phone calls to ensure smooth sailing. See for yourself how Toastique helps Franchise Owners run their breakfast franchises with confidence in this video. Having the support of seasoned restaurant industry professionals in your corner can make all the difference between success and failure in your market. By investing in a healthy franchise concept like Toastique, you can rest assured that you’ve got the right kind of support to help you through virtually any issue you encounter, which is something independent restaurant owners just don’t have. With a dedicated leadership team to help Franchise Owners with marketing, operations, construction and buildout and so much more, Toastique can help aspiring restaurateurs get off on the right foot for success and give them the tools and support they need to continue operating a thriving breakfast franchise for years to come. DON’T PUT YOUR RESTAURANT OWNERSHIP DREAMS ON THE SHELF: MAKE 2023 YOUR YEAR TO OWN A TOASTIQUE BREAKFAST FRANCHISE With a growing demand but still largely unmet need for convenient, grab-and-go healthy food in many suburban and urban neighborhoods, now is the time to invest in a Toastique Breakfast Franchise! With our robust support network to help you get off to a great start, along with our proven healthy breakfast franchise model featuring simple operations, low overhead expenses and built-in feasibility for to-go and delivery orders, Toastique can help you make your mark and stand out against other breakfast franchises, sandwich franchises and healthy franchises in your market. Visit our franchise website today to find out how you can get started.
Learn more
Toastique Bringing Waves of Customers to New Healthy Franchise Locations!
By now, we’re guessing you’ve already heard about Toastique, the gourmet toast and juice bar that has swept the brunch world like wildfire. As soon as we started franchising in 2020, we knew we had something special on our hands. Currently, we have six company units open, six breakfast franchise units open, with 60 more currently in development. Recently, we opened a new juice bar location in Hoboken, New Jersey, courtesy of Jude Sangillo, one of our newest Franchisees. The new Branch and Franchise Owner were wonderfully detailed in an article by Caren Lissner, a staff writer for Patch.com. Hello, Hoboken Located on Washington Street and 15th Street near the Tea Building, this breakfast franchise specializes in smoothies, bowls, and covered toast (including avocado smash, smoked salmon, and Greek dishes). Jude told Carne, “I lived in Hoboken for five years, enjoyed every minute of it, and always dreamed of returning to start a business in the mile-square city. I believe that Hoboken’s Toastique health food franchise fills a unique niche in capturing many of the current wants and needs by serving food that not only tastes great but leaves you without feeling guilty because it is genuinely healthy with accessible menu prices in a fast-casual format.” He added, “Every community, including Hoboken, should have access to convenient, nutritious food options away from home.” Caren goes on to give details about the opening and tossed in a juicy little nugget that the first 25 customers at the door got a free meal! Why Investing In A Healthy Food Franchise Like Toastique Is A Fantastic Idea. Interest in healthy, whole foods has increased recently, but the pandemic has accelerated it. Consumers today recognize the need to make healthier lifestyle choices. If you want to start a business or branch out into the restaurant industry, this is the right time to consider opening a healthy restaurant franchise. Most people thinking of opening a restaurant choose one of the more traditional options. Whether it’s an ethnic restaurant or a fast food restaurant, these are the obvious choices in today’s popular culture. It might be easy but unwise because the restaurant industry and consumers have changed. Old ideas no longer work. As an entrepreneur, a healthy restaurant franchise is one of the safest bets you can make. You should always know where your industry is headed before investing your money, time, and effort. And it takes a significant investment to start a restaurant, especially in the traditional sector. Having your own healthy restaurant can help you get a decent return on each of your investments. Anyone can open a restaurant. But the unique difference you add to yours is what can ultimately make you successful. No matter how delicious, what you serve will be the same as what others serve. This causes some problems. Your restaurant has little competitive advantage and low brand recall. However, in a healthy restaurant franchise, your menu stands out from other businesses in the area, giving you a substantial competitive advantage. Sometimes, you can create entirely new categories with less competition. Prices Need to Be Flexible When there are too many competitors with similar products, the only way to differentiate yourself is to lower your prices. This is why many restaurants struggle to find repeat customers and earn a profit. This price barrier has always constrained restaurant entrepreneurs, but the new reality of app-based delivery has exacerbated the problem. When your customers shop on grocery delivery aggregator apps, it instantly compares you to other restaurants based on price. This has nothing to do with the quality of food as most dishes can be found elsewhere. Healthy restaurant franchises differ in that they are free to charge a premium for multiple dishes. Consumers will happily pay the price difference because it’s healthy and made from all-natural ingredients. Therefore, starting a healthy restaurant franchise can provide a reasonable and stable source of income. No Need For Over-Marketing After starting a healthy restaurant franchise, you don’t have to spend money unnecessarily on marketing. There’s no need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to raise brand awareness or educate the public about your health food franchise. This is another reason to invest in a healthy restaurant franchise from a nationally known chain like Toastique, Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar. This brand has extraordinary value in the minds of consumers. There’s no need to start from scratch and create a new brand. Back in June of 2022, we brought our awesome healthy fast-casual concept to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the locals went bananas for it! “We couldn’t be more excited to expand Toastique across Colorado Springs,” Brianna Keefe, founder, and CEO, told RestaurantNews.com. “Healthy eating isn’t going out of style, and we know the consumer demand is only growing. Therefore, we want to make sure that anyone who lives near Toastique checks us out, and we promise, once they try our top-notch ingredients and thoughtfully curated menu, they will keep coming back for more.” This grand re-opening occurred in early February and couldn’t have gone better. The line was around the block, with people lining up as early as 11 PM. the night before! Why would people do that? Because they were hoping to win free Toastique for an entire year! These grand openings are SO good for the healthy franchise brand because they bring in loads of new fans, and if you open your very own Toastique, your marketing efforts will have to be minimal because of our superb reputation. And yes, it’s true, the first 50 people in line will get free Toastique for an entire year. Change Your Life One Piece of Gourmet Toast At A Time Toastique’s charm lies in its unique menu of healthy gourmet toasts, acai bowls, and cold-pressed juices. The flexibility of formats such as eat-in, delivery, and grab-and-go make Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar very customer friendly. Investing in a health food franchise brand like Toastique can change your life for the better. It can set you and your family up for the future. It’s a big decision. It’s a serious decision. But it’s also a decision that many have made and haven’t looked back. Click here to find out more about our Breakfast Franchise Opportunities.
Learn more
How Toastique Brings Multiple Revenue Streams to Breakfast Franchise Owners
Toastique is a popular gourmet toast and juice bar franchise that offers customers healthy food and beverage options — but you already know that. However, you might not know why a fast-casual restaurant franchise like Toastique can be a life-changing time and financial investment for the better. For one, a fast-casual juice franchise has a proven business model that has already been successful in other locations. This can help reduce the risk of failure compared to starting a new restaurant from scratch. And at Toastique, we offer you all of the Franchise Owner support you need to succeed. We’ll start with a 2-week training program so you will learn everything from recipes, ordering, ingredients, processes, P.O.S. (CAKE by Sysco), inventory, management, employee training, hiring, marketing, grand opening assistance, and location-specific opportunities. After that, the ongoing support consists of bi-monthly calls to inform Franchise Owners of any new happenings, such as our Toast of the Weeks and seasonal promotions. Unlike the competition, we take pride in being available 24/7 for our Franchisees! Watch our Franchise Owner Support video HERE. Anyhoo… back to the advantages of fast-casual restaurant franchises. Starting a new restaurant can be expensive, but investing in a sandwich franchise can be more cost-effective. The franchisor provides the franchisee with everything they need to get started, including equipment, supplies, and marketing materials. If you invest in a successful fast-casual breakfast franchise, there may be opportunities to open additional locations in the future. This can help you build a successful business and generate more income over time. Of course, investing in a fast-casual franchise is not without its risks. It’s essential to do your due diligence and thoroughly research the franchise before deciding. You should also consult a financial advisor and a lawyer to ensure you fully understand the financial and legal implications of investing in a restaurant franchise. How Toastique Brings Multiple Revenue Streams to Franchise Owners At Toastique, we’ve been fortunate enough to be successful since the day our first gourmet toast and juice bar opened, and we’ve been able to translate that to our breakfast franchise owners. How do we do that? We’ve brought in multiple revenue streams to Franchise Owners by diversifying our offerings and expanding the gourmet toast and juice bar business model. Here are a few ways in which we’ve been able to do that: Boutique Franchise Concept: We have found the best way to support Franchise Owners is to grow sustainably in predefined Cities and Communities that would best support/sustain a Toastique location’s growth. Cafe Sales: Our primary revenue stream comes from the cafes, which offer a range of healthy food and beverage options. The brand has grown this revenue stream by expanding its store footprint and increasing customer traffic through marketing efforts. And it paid off because, at almost every grand opening, we have a line extending out the store and around the block — usually starting the night before like a Springsteen concert. Online Ordering: Toastique has also implemented an online ordering system, allowing customers to place orders for pickup or delivery. This has enabled the company to tap into the growing online ordering trend and has helped increase sales. Loaded Pipeline: Our breakfast franchise business model is so locked in, and our reputation is so high we have an entire pipeline of franchisee candidates, so there is a strong chance we ‘sell out this year’! In fact, we only have a handful of franchise territories left, so get yours before you’re done reading this! Retail Sales: We offer a range of branded products for sale, including t-shirts, reusable bags, and water bottles. This has allowed us to create a new revenue stream by tapping into the popularity of our gourmet toast and juice bar franchise brand and offering customers a way to take home a piece of the Toastique experience! Simple & Scalable: The small, effective design of Toastique eliminates the need for large cooking appliances like ovens, fryers, or hoods. This enables quick and inexpensive construction. Once operational, our venues can be operated by a three- to five-person team. The fact that 72% of franchise system owners have several units is unsurprising, given how easy it is to start a site. Catering: Toastique also offers catering services for events, which has allowed the company to generate additional revenue by tapping into the growing demand for healthy food options at events and corporate gatherings. Look At That Menu: Not only is our menu unique, creative, and delicious, but it also looks absolutely gorgeous! It exudes the “wow” element, making it tough to resist taking that Instagram picture. The aesthetic presentation of our menu items automatically leads to a tastier experience and free marketing for Franchise Owners because people eat with their eyes first. Have a look for yourself HERE! So our first menu item, which is our most popular item across the board at any gourmet toast and juice bar location, is our Avocado Smash. We make everything in-house and marinate the tomatoes, making them unique and delicious. Our bread is also locally sourced, and for the Avocado Smash, we use a multi-grain. The other most popular item is our Smoked Salmon. We use the pastrami salmon, which gives the dish more flavor, and pair it with our herb cream cheese, also made in-house. It’s full of toppings like capers and a toasty seasoning similar to Everything Bagel seasoning. We use local sourdough bread for this dish. Now to our bowls, and the most popular of our bowls is the PBMB Bowl. Again, we use house-made peanut butter using unsalted roasted peanuts and then top it off with a honey-roasted peanut butter drizzle. It’s a constant staple at all of our brunch franchise locations. Lastly, we have our Radiance Juice. It uses spring citrus, so we only offered it as a seasonal juice, but SO many people went crazy for it, so we decided to make it a permanent menu item. Once we did that, we changed the name to Radiance. It’s made with grapefruit, blood orange, regular orange, pineapple juice, and basil, so it’s ridiculously refreshing. At Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar, we believe everyone eats with their eyes first, so we want it to be just as beautiful as it tastes! Please, Won’t You Join Us? As we said above, we’re awarding a minimal number of franchises for the rest of the year — 25 to be exact — so don’t wait any longer. Head over to our Franchise Website and start the process!
Learn more
Toastique: Be the Toast of the Town
If you’re looking for a way to become a foodie hero in your town, opening a Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar could be just the ticket. We’re a popular restaurant chain specializing in artisanal toasts, smoothies, and other healthy eats. Here are a few reasons why investing with us in your town could earn you a lot of fans and admirers. First and foremost, we’re known for delicious and healthy food options. Unlike many breakfast restaurant franchises that serve greasy and unhealthy fare, we pride ourselves on using fresh, natural ingredients to create wholesome, delicious, and nutritious meals. From avocado toast to peanut butter banana smoothies, we offer a range of healthy menu items that are sure to please even the pickiest eaters. We’re also known for its commitment to sustainability and environmentalism. The restaurant franchise uses only eco-friendly packaging and sourcing methods to minimize its environmental impact. This is an essential consideration for many modern consumers who are increasingly aware of their food choices’ impact on the environment. Another reason why franchising with Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar in your town could make you a foodie hero is because of our strong healthy franchise brand and extremely loyal following. Toastique has built a reputation as a trendy and hip breakfast restaurant chain that appeals to health-conscious millennials and Gen Zers. By opening a Toastique in your town, you could tap into this loyal customer base and attract a steady stream of patrons who are eager to try out the latest and greatest healthy food trends. One of the best parts of a Toastique breakfast franchise is how Instagrammable our food is. The aesthetically pleasing decor, colorful murals, and trendy design elements make for great photo opportunities. You’ll create a buzz on social media and attract people from all over eager to snap pics of their artisanal toasts and smoothie bowls. And lastly, maybe the most important part, it’s a pretty good business move. The restaurant industry is notoriously competitive, but Toastique breakfast franchise has already proven itself to be a successful and growing franchise brand. By partnering with the company, you could tap into its expertise and leverage its existing infrastructure to help your new business thrive. We have a proven track record of expanding into new markets and building a loyal customer base, which could help your new breakfast restaurant hit the ground running. Let’s Meet Our Newest Healthy Franchise Owners Toastique’s newest healthy breakfast franchise owners are no strangers to the franchise business. Brad and Natalie Plotkin are currently owners of a Title One Boxing franchise in Owings Mills, Maryland, and have been wildly successful at it. They were looking to expand their business investment profile but wanted something other than a fitness brand. After being presented with Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar, they immediately fell in love with the franchise concept and knew this was the perfect fit for them as well as a great sister business to their boxing franchise. They were able to find a location across from their Title One and submit a letter of intent. Both knew immediately from the healthy breakfast menu to the decor that Toastique was a perfect fit. I am so excited to watch them thrive in the Owings Mills market! Let’s meet them, shall we? Brad & Natalie Plotkin of Owings Mills, Maryland What is your personal/professional background? Bradley:Worked for nearly 20 years as Sales Leader in Retail at T-Mobile and Apple. Natalie: I spent 15+ years in Retirement Operations at T. Rowe Price. Prior to our career fields, we both spent many years working in the restaurant industry as servers, cooks, and bartenders at various restaurants. What are your personal hobbies or interests? N: Fitness is a large part of our life (hence Brad’s business) and is a starting point nearly every day for us. Bradley spends most of his days at his boxing club and is a huge boxing and mixed martial arts fan. I’m a huge plant enthusiast and have dozens spread throughout our home. Together, our family of four, including Dylan (10) and Harper (7), love to ride bikes and walk Beau, our 1-year-old Goldendoodle, who is an essential part of our family. How did you first become aware of Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar? N: Several years ago, Bradley was interested in juicing and smoothie businesses and inquired about Clean Juice and Nektar. After interviewing several franchisees in the Clean Juice system, Bradley opted not to move forward. Several years later, mid-pandemic, he was introduced to Toastiuqe healthy brunch restaurant by his franchise advisor Matt Lucas and fell in love with the franchise concept. Why is Toastique the right fit for you? B: Natalie and I loved the combination of food and drink offerings. Where we felt other restaurant franchise concepts fell flat was their limited menu and revenue stream in food specifically, and what Toastique offered was a totally unique healthy breakfast menu that was attractive and delicious. The concept and design of the cafe aligned very much with my wife’s aesthetic and personal style; it felt like going to our Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar would be like a 2nd home. What did you like about the Toastique health food franchise opportunity? B: We felt like the industry of healthy casual dining was very opportunistic, although there is some competition in the area. However, we recognized that Toastique’s approach, franchise concept, and overall healthy breakfast menu was so differentiated from our competition that we were confident that we could succeed in our market. We greatly appreciated that the restaurant franchise was relatively new and adapting to change and has succeeded during the most challenging of times with the COVID pandemic. What did you like about meeting Toastique’s Founder and the rest of the corporate team? N: We really liked the bond and relationship that the founders had with their team. It was evident that they worked on the front line and were passionate about the business, the people, and maintaining the essence of the franchise brand. What did you like about Toastique’s Approval Day (formerly known as Discovery Day)? B: We enjoyed seeing the multiple franchise locations and the volume discrepancies in the business during the morning and afternoon. It was great to see the front and back of house operations and manuals to get a glimpse of training and preparation for the day-to-day. We also enjoyed meeting other prospective Toastique breakfast franchise owners to understand who/what skill sets would be running locations. What was the “A-Ha!” or “lightbulb” moment that made you want to become a franchisee with Toastique? B: The menu. N: Walking in and seeing Dupont and realizing that she could absolutely go there to work every day. Why did you want to become an entrepreneur? B: Natalie has been in the corporate world for nearly 20 years and has reached a point in her career where she would like to pursue a business that she is passionate about. N: After working for nearly 20 years in corporate leadership, Bradley decided he no longer wanted to work for other sales leaders when he felt their goals didn’t align with his. Bradley was a top achiever for most of his career, yet every quarter, he was reminded that past results meant nothing. Rather than continuing to work for others, Bradley realized he would be happiest building something long-term for himself and his family. He’s been looking for years to expand on his fitness business and find a synergistic investment opportunity to provide his current members a healthy nutritional solution pre/post class. What do you think will make you successful? N: Bradley runs a TITLE Boxing Club directly across the street from our location. There is great synergy between the two businesses, and we will “feed” our members into our Toastique healthy brunch franchise location. Down the street from our gym is a Club Pilates and a flagship Marriott Hotel “The Tillery.” We are in a unique complex with nearly 2000 residents with access to the first stop on the metro station traveling to downtown Baltimore City. Our center has several restaurants and bars, quick-stop lunch places, and gyms, but nothing that offers a healthy meal! Natalie and Bradley’s experience in leadership, retail management, people management, and the restaurant industry should help them create an excellent environment that will deliver a unique fast-casual restaurant offering the only healthy meal in the center. What set Toastique apart, in your eyes, from other franchise investment opportunities in the Food/Fast Casual Industry? B: The menu, the adaptability to change in the marketplace, and the seasonal offerings allow for revenue streams that many other restaurant franchises wouldn’t allow for. What advice would you give to a potential Franchise Owner? N: Please research other similar businesses in the same industry and talk with owners within their businesses. When I was interested in Clean Juice, I was invited to Discovery Day and reviewed the financials they supplied, put together my own financials sheet, and just couldn’t come up with ways to break even. I spoke with several Franchise Owners and found many disgruntled franchisees in the system who lost a ton of money. With Toastique, there weren’t many Franchise Owners to speak with, so I spent time visiting different locations after we opted in to get a vibe on the people, their temperament, the traffic, the sales volume, etc., to see if it was in line with what the daily sales forecasts were. We were quite pleased with what we saw. Start scouting real estate early if you don’t already have a place in mind. The right real estate is key to the business’s success outside of the people you hire. How much did Toastique’s emphasis on healthy living and creating food made with whole, healthy ingredients influence your choice to own a franchise with them? B: Very much so as it aligns with our daily lifestyle. What are you looking forward to most about owning your own Toastique breakfast franchise? N: We are excited to go to a place that is vibrant and clean and be able to sell a healthy breakfast menu to the public! Be Like the Plotkin’s & Get Yourself on the Toastique Bandwagon Don’t wait any longer to secure your Toastique healthy breakfast restaurant franchise location because our territories are flying off the shelf almost as fast as our Avocado Smash! Visit our Franchise Website and let’s get going!
Learn more
Introducing Toastique to Ann Arbor, MI with Legacy Driven Candace Kovar!
We’ll never get tired of saying it – the Toastique breakfast franchise continues to grow, and what was once just a single gourmet toast and juice bar in Washington, D.C. continues to blow all expectations out of the water! Together with our dozens of Franchise Owners and stellar corporate team, we’re continuing to expand well past our northeast home base and making healthy brunch options more and more accessible for millions of people across the country. Even with all this growth, we still love to stop and celebrate every little win and new Franchise Owner, so this month, we’re excited to welcome a new, devoted health-food lover to our family: Candace Kovar! We can’t wait to tell you all about the family she’s built and sees as her motivation, her passion for bringing a healthy option to her community, and how she made the jump into entrepreneurship. So, grab your favorite smoothie or cold-pressed juice, and let us introduce you to our newest breakfast restaurant Franchise Owner. Let’s Get to Know Candace Kovar, the Newest Addition to the Toastique Franchise! From a Family in Franchising to a Degree in Clinical Psychology Unlike many people that take the leap to join the franchise world, Candace Kovar came to us with a history in franchising; her family owned their fair share of pizza franchises, so she was introduced to the franchise industry as a child, growing up in the stores and learning the ins and outs of the business from an early age. Once she became old enough, she worked her way through the positions of a store up to an Executive Assistant role, where she helped her mother and watched her become a strong, independent businesswoman in her own right. After high school, Candace made her way to college, where she earned her Bachelors, then Masters degree in clinical psychology, meeting her husband, Austin, along the way. Leaning on the knowledge she learned during her college years, she provided her community with services that allowed her to work with people of all ages and ranges of mental illnesses for over seven years. During this time, she also created multiple programs and assessments for the behavioral health department of her organization. This way, she could make an impact on her community through the work that continues since her absence, in addition to the community-based events and outreach she also participated in. Now, Candace is ready to shift her career and build a successful business for herself, just as she saw her mother do as a child. As a new mother herself, Candace is driven by the goal to provide that same experience her mother provided to her and instill a passion for entrepreneurship in her own daughter. Candace & Her Personal Life Outside of her professional roles, Candace is the picture of a new mother to a two-year-old little girl named Maeve, and finds the time she spends with her family to be the fuel that drives her. Whether it’s photographing her daughter or others in her community, or adventuring between the zoo, the house, or anywhere outside, you’ll find Candace and her husband making memories as a young family. As a wife, Candace also enjoys indulging in her love of food with her husband, making the effort to experience new places and try new foods in her local community. Getting to Know Toastique At the beginning of the pandemic, Candace began looking into business and franchise opportunities with the dream of adding to her family’s future and creating a legacy for herself. As her search led her to us, Candace followed her instincts to our Instagram where she saw creative, delicious menu items and a clean, healthy brand vibe that she could immediately picture herself in. From the products to the processes, Candace saw her passion for health and wellness finding a home in her own Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar and giving her the outlet she could use to impact and help her community thrive. After seeing the same excitement in her husband, the couple decided to make a move and reach out to start their own Toastique healthy breakfast franchise journey. The more time Candace spent exploring Toastique as a potential future for herself and her family, the more she loved the boutique feel in every aspect of our franchise brand. She appreciated our founder, Brianna, and the mission she brought to the table as she grew her first few breakfast restaurant locations to the major franchise it is today. Candace sees Brianna’s passion and drive and found that even the cost of a Toastique breakfast franchise opportunity was well worth it ten times over and is motivated to bring this same passion to Michigan, a relatively untapped market in the health and wellness industry. “Gourmet toast is desired, as well as juices and smoothies, and I know Ann Arbor is the perfect fit [for Toastique] to call home,” Candace enthused in a recent interview just after she was awarded her territory. Love of Conscious, Healthy Living As with all of us, Candace is no stranger to the disheartening feeling of paying top dollar and having high expectations, only to ultimately be met with a meal full of fillers, additives, and disappointment. So, as she learned the importance our founders Brianna and Kyle place on sourcing local produce, even those that aren’t “picture perfect,” she loved to hear that she will be able to make healthy food options accessible, while also getting the chance to work with farmers local to the Ann Arbor area. Meeting the Toastique Franchise Team Moving forward in the franchise process, Candace had the opportunity to meet Brianna and our corporate team, as well as attend an Approval Day, and she had only positive things to say about the process! With her love of businesswomen stemming from her relationship with her mother, Candace gushed about our founders, saying, “Brianna is an incredible example of a lady-boss. She is humble, kind, and an extremely hard worker – all qualities I see in myself and would want to partner with. Running multiple businesses as a young female is so inspiring, and again bringing it back to my daughter, such a great example of what to strive for.” “Kyle is driven, and equally as hard working, wears so many hats, and manages to keep you feeling a part of the family. Our time spent with [the founders] over video calls and in DC has been so personal and welcoming. The whole team makes you feel like you’re a part of a fast-growing community and they just want to have your back – I haven’t felt ‘alone’ in this process at all, it’s comforting and exciting!” When Approval Day came around and Candace had the opportunity to learn the entire Toastique process – from observing the operations process to seeing the facilities and learning about the build-out–she found herself and her husband even more aligned with the healthy franchise brand than before. The couple loved the way Brianna and Kyle connected with their customers and employees and plan to emulate the same presence that our founders have with each breakfast restaurant franchise location. After sampling the menu and recognizing that everything tasted as delicious as they looked online, Candace and Austin returned home craving more. Luckily, there’s more gourmet toast and health-focused recipes on the horizon for them as they dive into brunch franchise ownership and join the Toastique family this year! Needless to say, we can’t wait to see how Candace and Austin leverage their lifetime of experiences and drive to build something for themselves and their daughter as they join the Toastique Healthy Franchise family! Hear What Candace Had to Say in Our Recent Chat After awarding Candace her very own Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar franchise, we sat down with her to get to know her perspective on her Toastique journey so far and what she’s most excited about moving forward! Why did you want to become an entrepreneur? Candace: “First, because I feel the call to be my own boss and to make a difference in others’ lives. Second, I have the drive to be the best version of myself, for me, and to be the best example I can for my daughter. Being a female entrepreneur can show her that she can do whatever she wants in this life, that hard work is nothing to fear, and if you enjoy every minute of what you do, life will forever be full.” In your eyes, what sets Toastique apart from other franchise business opportunities in the fast-casual food industry? C: “Toastique is so beautiful, unique, and detail-oriented. When compared to other franchises, Toastique sets the bar at the top. The quality of ingredients and presentation, as well as the operation of this franchise, sets it apart from any other opportunity I’ve come across.” What was the “a-ha” or “lightbulb” moment that made you want to franchise with Toastique? C: “There were many A-ha moments. One [was] the first time I laid eyes on Toastique’s social media and saw their style [and] charming uniqueness. The moment that really sealed the deal, that I knew I wanted to be a part of this business, was my husband [and my] first video meeting with Brianna. That meeting allowed me to see the vision that Brianna has for the business and her values, which spoke directly to me. I felt understood as a franchisee, wanting the utmost attention to detail.” What are you looking forward to most about owning your own Toastique breakfast restaurant? C: “Being proud to say I own a Toastique. To have something that is mine, my family’s, [and] my daughter’s. It’s so important to my husband and I to share experiences with our daughter, and this will be the best adventure of our lives!” What advice would you give to a potential Franchise Owner? C: “Be confident in your abilities: it’s advice I give to myself whenever I start to feel nervous about the next step or about the future. I remind myself how capable I am of being successful and that I have the skills, and will gain so many more new skills, to help thrive in any environment. There are many hats, but if we wear them well [and] have an incredible team, we can get through it and grow into the best franchise owner you’ve ever imagined.” Are you ready to join Candace and take the leap of faith that leads you to open your very own Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar franchise and bring healthy food alternatives to your community? With just a ten-minute call, you might find the business opportunity your life has been needing and the delicious food your stomach has been craving. See what’s made Toastique so special (and successful!) and talk to our team to get started today.
Learn more
Atlanta is Getting a Toastique Thanks to Air Force Veteran Nicole Wiley!
Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar has broken records and exceeded expectations nearly every month this year, but we’re not done yet! As the year begins to close, we still can’t wait to announce our final territories awarded this year and introduce you to a couple more of the newest Franchise Owners to join the Toastique franchise. This month, we’re excited to finally expand to a new market as our newest Franchisee, Nicole Wiley, begins the process of opening our first-ever Atlanta, Georgia location! Meet Our First Georgia Franchise Owner, Nicole Wiley! Nicole’s Military Service & Professional Background Before she began considering franchising or how many career changes she would make in her journey, Nicole Wiley was an Officer in the United States Air Force for 25 years. After finally retiring and hanging up her uniform, she enjoyed retired life for a couple of years until she took up part-time work with an online-based accounting firm. It was at this time that the COVID-19 pandemic began, forcing her to work longer, busier hours than she’d planned. From there, she decided to look into full-time employment seriously, and she eventually joined the Federal Aviation Administration as an Aircraft Engineer Program Assistant. While Nicole expressed how rewarding her day job has been since joining the FAA, she couldn’t help but feel like there was more that she could do – for both her family and her community. With grandchildren on the way, she believes that now is the time to create something lasting so she can set aside something more for the future generations of her family and contribute to her community in a more substantial way. Moving Into Franchising & Choosing Toastique After Nicole moved back into full-time work, she began to consider what alternatives existed that would allow her to build substantial, scalable wealth. Then, after experiencing her first acai bowl on a visit to Martha’s Vineyard in September of 2022 and craving it after returning home, Nicole realized there was a huge gap in her market. She was hungry for healthy alternatives during her daily commute but couldn’t find anything that satisfied that desire anywhere remotely close to either her home or work. This led her down a franchising rabbit hole, where she learned about a variety of different health-focused restaurant concepts, eventually delivering her to Toastique. “I don’t feel Toastique can fail, given the right location in this city, given their model, [and] given the look of the food. The taste is so great that I don’t feel it could fail, given the right market.” Since Nicole connected with our team, her dream of opening her own health-food restaurant has taken off. She already has ideas on how to be a valuable employer in the neighborhood she’s choosing for her location, and how to set up scholarships for local kids so she can make Toastique a recognized and loved name in the Atlanta metropolitan area! The Tipping Point for Nicole Nicole’s experience with Toastique is a familiar story but an exciting one nonetheless! After she chose to seriously consider our breakfast franchise as the means to bring healthy food to her corner of Atlanta, she dove into the process head first, eventually attending Approval Day. “[Before] Approval Day, I was 95% sure I wanted to do it. After that, I was 150% sure. The artistic design of the food – it looks appetizing! It makes you want to eat it and be in awe of it, like, ‘Wow! They did that? This is beautiful, let’s see how it tastes.’ [Also], the design of the restaurants looks so inviting, versus the other [franchises]. It looked so clean and modern [that] it gives you that peace when you walk in.” Nicole fell in love with everything from our gourmet toast menu to the visual appeal of our brick-and-mortar locations. However, she also found herself pleasantly surprised by the entire Discovery Process, especially when compared to her disappointing conversations with other franchise brands she pursued and then abandoned. Our commitment to building trust with our Franchisees shined through her interactions with the Toastique team, ultimately giving her the confidence she needed to become our first Georgia Franchise Owner! Chatting with Our Newest Franchise Owner! As Nicole helps us break into the Atlanta healthy restaurant market, we can’t wait to see what she has in store for her new business. So, allow us to let Nicole speak for herself as we give you a sneak peek into some of what she had to say in our recent Q&A! “Do you have any advice you would give to someone who was in your shoes and looking at franchise investment opportunities?” Nicole: “My piece of advice would be to make sure you’re with a [franchise] that values you [and] respects you in the beginning. I feel that Toastique is giving me a lot of leeway with finding the location, whereas some other franchises really don’t. But Toastique is letting you guide and run the show as opposed to some of the others [who] tell you, ‘This is where you need to be.’ I didn’t feel comfortable with that; if my location fails because I said, ‘I want to be here, this is where it needs to be,’ then it’s on me. I can accept that. If I fail because someone else told me where I should be, that would be a hard pill to swallow.” “What are you looking forward to most about owning your Toastique?” N: “I look forward to being in the restaurant, meeting people, pleasing people, [and] seeing the joy on their faces after they take a bite or two of the food or a sip of the juice. That’s immediate gratification, seeing the end result of your work right then and there; that’s rewarding to me. I [also] look forward to working with the community, to marketing, [and] getting out there, [and] maybe having some sort of collaboration with other businesses. I’m looking forward to all of that, [and] being an employer, [where] I’m out here providing jobs for other people. I’m looking forward to all of that.” If you’re anything like Nicole and you’re looking for a new way to give back to your family and neighbors, then Toastique is looking for people like you! Franchisees with our business model get the opportunity to introduce a healthy, wellness-focused restaurant to their territories, all while creating lasting wealth and making an impact in their community! Take the first step today to become the next Franchise Owner with Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar by taking our quick, one-minute quiz now!
Learn more
Toastique is Breaking Into the Prime LA Market with an Uncle & Nephew Duo!
If there’s one prime territory that already has the demand and love of healthy food concepts, it’s Los Angeles! While Toastique may have opened its first location in Washington D.C., it was clear this was a model that would thrive in the booming California market – eventually. All we needed was the perfect Franchise Owner – or two – to help us make it happen. Today, those Owners have finally joined our franchise, and we couldn’t be more excited to introduce them to you! Allow us to introduce you to Ali and his Uncle, the empire-minded duo bringing Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar to the City of Angels! Please Welcome Ali & His Uncle, the Family Bringing Toastique to Los Angeles! The Pair’s Diverse Background For over 30 years, Ali’s Uncle has worked in a variety of tech-forward companies as an engineer. He accepted his first corporate role in 1993 after graduating from college with an engineering degree, and he stayed there for just over 25 years. Since leaving, he has held a few different positions, but he continues to work for Cisco today, where he can put his love of technology to good use. On the other hand, Ali is a long-time, dedicated logistics professional. While he began as a warehouse employee, he worked his way up to people and third-party maintenance and logistics management. Today, he’s been putting his entrepreneurial drive to work by starting his own LLC and learning the long-haul trucking business before he creates his own innovative new solutions and introduces them to the field. Choosing Franchising For some, joining a franchise is not about finding an escape from the corporate world but about finding something to supplement their day job and allow them to follow their dream of becoming an entrepreneur. That’s exactly the approach Ali’s Uncle is bringing to the venture with Ali as he and his wife looked into franchising investment opportunities that allowed them to play an oversight role so they could maintain their corporate roles. “It’s not necessarily wanting to get out, it’s more like following a passion, and that passion is entrepreneurship. Obviously, when you work for somebody, you get to a point where you start managing the business, managing the P&L, the resources, the operations, and so on. It doesn’t take away from the passion that I have for corporate, it’s just that I’ve always liked to have my own business, which I had in the past. But the food business, the QSR, is very attractive.” While the uncle/nephew duo began their franchise search by pursuing an LA-based bakery concept they enjoyed that happened to offer franchising, the pair quickly realized that they didn’t want to build a business based on a sugary menu. It wasn’t until they connected with a franchise consultant who introduced them to a healthier quick-service restaurant option: Toastique. Getting to Know Toastique After their franchise consultant introduced them to the Toastique healthy breakfast concept, the pair were immediately hooked. They recognized the potential of introducing this business model to the health-conscious market of LA right away, so they chose to learn as much as they could, even attending our Balboa Island grand opening and looking into our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). During the process, they absorbed all the information they could, from Toastique’s history to our support team, even taking the time to evaluate the unit economics to make sure our business model aligned with their financial goals. With this and their love of the healthy menu, it was clear to Ali’s Uncle that Toastique was the franchise best fit for their dream of starting a family business together. Meeting the Toastique Team/Approval Day While Ali and his Uncle were confident in both their ability to successfully launch and scale their own business empire with Toastique and the profitability potential of our model, they still had a variety of questions they needed answered before they could make their final decision. “[Approval Day] just got us over the hump. Meeting the whole Executive team and understanding the roles of the different members, [and] sitting down and digging deeper into the numbers, the unit economics with the team, the process, how to start, and how to finish. All of that complemented everything else, which – overall – made it a perfect day.” By attending Approval Day together, Ali and his Uncle were able to assess the Toastique model from their own unique perspectives and get even more excited about joining our franchise family. From visiting four different open and operating locations to see the different flavor and layout of each to connecting with Brianna and Kyle, the duo had all the proof they needed to officially become the newest Toastique Franchise Owners. The Duo’s Thoughts on Introducing Toastique to the City of Angels Now that both Ali and his Uncle have returned from their Approval Day and signed on to launch their first three – of hopefully many! – Toastique breakfast franchise locations, they’re busy preparing for their first opening. However, they still made time to sit down for a quick Q&A so we could hear more about their perspective on the education process and what excites them most about bringing our gourmet toast and juice concept to the prime LA territory. Was it important to find a business you could do as a family Ali’s Uncle: “Yeah, there was something about Ali and I and, hopefully, we can prove in the future that we complement each other. He’s really good on the operations side because he’s managed people, he’s managed the day-to-day activities, and so on. My current job is [as] a Senior Director, so I manage the business and strategize around the business so between the two of us, we could complement each other. So, he’s the one family member who [has] the experience and got the know-how to actually tap into. There [are] some other family members that we may get [on board] later on, but at this time, it’s just me and Ali.” Is there anything specific that excites you about the territories you’ve chosen? A: “Obviously, there is something magical about Downtown. I think all Downtowns are the same, but LA is on a much grander scale if you will. That excites us a lot. There are so many events with the presence of some sports teams like the Lakers, the Clippers, the LA Kings, and so on. So, just the excitement around the city, and that there [have] been a few years now [where] the city has been revamped and continues to be revamped. And the last thing I’ll tell you is that LA [will be] hosting the 2028 Olympics, so it’s going to continue to get revamped, and we think it’ll be a good thing for us to capture that market.” What are you most excited about with getting your new Toastique location open? A: “Getting cash flow, [but] there is a lot that we’re excited about, not just one [thing]. When you build a machine, you give it a little of oil, a little bit of gas, a little of all of this, and then you see it operating – to me, that’s probably the most exciting part. But there is another part that excites us even more, and that is growth. We’re not satisfied with one, we want to build multiple, so [we] can’t wait to see the first one operating – and then seeing that little baby grow and grow, that’s very exciting.” Are you looking for a franchise model that could help you build lasting generational wealth and create business opportunities for your family in the future, like this Uncle/Nephew duo? If so, you’ll likely find the same exciting potential in Toastique as the uncle/nephew duo bringing our healthy toast and juice concept to Los Angeles! See if you qualify to be the next Franchise Owner to join our system by taking our quick qualification quiz today.
Learn more
Toastique is Heading to the Big Apple with New Franchise Owners Tiffany & Todd Siegel!
The U.S. has a few major markets that every franchise brand looks forward to breaking into, and while we began in Washington D.C., and have already introduced our gourmet toast and juice bar concept to L.A., we’re incredibly excited to announce that Toastique is officially headed to New York City next! We’ve had our eye on the Big Apple since we first opened franchising opportunities, and now we’ve finally welcomed a new couple of Franchise Owners who will help us introduce the Toastique concept to Manhattan – and maybe even beyond! Allow Us to Introduce & Welcome the Siegels to the Toastique Franchise! Returning from London to Leave Big Corporate Behind Over the past few years, Tiffany and Todd Siegel have lived and worked in London after growing up in suburban New York. However, the couple made the decision to move back to the States, and while Todd has continued his position as a Global Director of Strategy and Operations for a major non-profit, Tiffany has taken a new approach since the move. Up until recently, Tiffany maintained a managerial position at Amazon, where she was tasked with leading the design, engineering, construction, and launch of new warehouses and sites across Europe. While Tiffany felt she was fortunate enough to love her job and the company she worked for, she was always passionate about the idea of starting a business of her own. Luckily, she was able to use the couple’s move back to the U.S. as an opportunity to step back and reevaluate what she really wanted to do in her career and how she could pivot to something that would give her the flexibility she never had in the corporate world. This is the moment franchising entered the picture. Tiffany & Todd Stumbled Into Franchising The Siegels saw franchising and associated it with McDonald’s and many other major fast-food chains, like many people initially do, and couldn’t picture themselves starting a business this way. However, once they found a small coffee shop franchise near their home, Todd and Tiffany recognized the variety of brands within the franchise world and jumped into looking at franchises that matched their lifestyle and vision for their future together. How Their Personal Experiences Pushed the Siegels Toward Healthy Franchising Tiffany and Todd were beginning to recognize the diversity of franchise opportunities on the market. They reflected on their experiences and found that one thing was prevalent – and positive – in their lives that they could leverage in a business: healthy eating. While Todd found nutrition as a source of relief from his own chronic health condition, Tiffany recognized the important role healthy eating played in her recovery (and remission!) from cancer and the chemotherapy she underwent. Today, the pair still prioritizes nutritious food, and it’s this shared passion that led them to look at healthy restaurant concepts and – ultimately – the Toastique breakfast franchise. The Siegel’s Introduction to Toastique After Todd and Tiffany decided to seriously pursue franchising, the pair evaluated over 200 franchise brands, shortlisting only four thanks to the help of a franchise consultant. One of those four final franchises happened to be Toastique. Right from the start, the pair fell in love with the healthy, fast-casual concept, fondly likening our business opportunity to the healthy, grab-and-go restaurants they enjoyed during their time abroad in London and Europe, something they recognized the U.S. and New York City is greatly lacking. While their initial dream was to open a coffee shop, Tiffany and Todd felt that Toastique was a healthy breakfast restaurant that would offer the best of both worlds: the fun, inviting atmosphere of a coffee shop paired with a substantial, health-focused menu. With the Toastique concept, they believe that opening their own business will give Tiffany the flexibility that she couldn’t find in her previous corporate role, and together, they’ll finally be on the path to financial freedom. Meeting the Toastique Team at Approval Day Once Todd and Tiffany made the decision to seriously consider the Toastique Franchise as their path to becoming entrepreneurs, they joined us in D.C. for Approval Day, and right from the start, the couple loved the warmth and engagement they felt throughout the process. By meeting and interacting with the corporate team – even ordering from Kyle while he was behind the counter – the Siegels felt relaxed and comfortable enough to ask the awkward questions and have the genuine conversations that led to their final decision. Together with the supporting material they received, the validation calls they had with other new Franchisees, and the great experiences they had visiting other Toastique breakfast restaurants, Tiffany and Todd walked away impressed and as new Franchise Owners! Why Tiffany & Todd Chose Manhattan Since signing on, the Siegels have been busy learning everything they can about how to run their Toastique healthy breakfast restaurant, even flying down to our headquarters for our in-person training sessions! Now, they’re diving head first into the site selection process, and the couple can’t think of a territory better suited for Toastique than the Manhattan borough. Tiffany believes that the healthy, quick-service breakfast menu will be perfect for independent New Yorkers with an on-the-go lifestyle, in addition to becoming a community hub for the neighborhood it’s in. “There is every type of person in New York City, and Toastique has something for each one. Does your friend need lunch, but you just want a drink? Toastique is a great place to meet. Are you a healthy eater, but your friend wouldn’t be caught dead in a vegan restaurant? Toastique has options for you too. We believe Toastique is what NYC is missing, and our passion for healthy eating and commitment to the community will make our location a success!” Whether it’s the fast-paced life the Siegels love about New York or the passion, diversity, and culture Tiffany sees and admires about New Yorkers themselves, the pair believes that the city is the perfect fit for a Toastique gourmet toast and juice bar. Coming from their own experience with the area, including Tiffany’s childhood in the NYC suburbs and her college years in Hoboken, New Jersey, the couple always knew they would be back. This time, it’s to start a new chapter of their life and launch their own business – with Toastique. Looking Forward to their Franchising Future In the future, the Siegels are excited to explore all the different executing possibilities of being entrepreneurs. They recognize that Toastique could enable them to open as many as 20 Toastique breakfast franchise locations, but they can also see themselves owning a variety of businesses in the health food, travel, or even yoga industries. Ultimately, Tiffany and Todd are leaning into the flexibility franchising offers them, focusing on their immediate goal of opening a successful Toastique the community will love while they leave their long-term goal open-ended – for now! Our Q&A with Tiffany & Todd Now that the Siegels have settled back into NYC living after transitioning back from their London life, the pair is full steam ahead on finding the perfect site for their Manhattan Toastique! As busy as their schedule is, with Todd assisting the new business part-time and Tiffany focusing solely on opening their healthy breakfast franchise, the pair made time to sit down with our team to chat about everything from finding the right fit in franchising and getting to know Toastique. What was the most surprising thing you learned during the Toastique Franchise Education process? Tiffany: “I love how honest the team was from the very beginning about the finances. We found that some of the other franchises we evaluated shared high revenue and profit projections upfront, but when it came down to looking at the FDD and speaking to other franchisees, the actual financials weren’t as good as what we were told early on. With Toastique, it was the opposite – we found that many of the stores we spoke to were doing better than the FDD projections (because the FDD only had a few stores due to the 2-year requirement, and many of the stores are less than 2 years old), so we [weren’t] being sold some great promise early on only to be disappointed. We were pleasantly surprised that the more we learned, the better the business opportunity seemed. [This] also gave us more trust and confidence in the leadership team. We love that they were transparent from day one – it speaks to their character!” In your eyes, what sets Toastique apart from other franchise opportunities in the restaurant industry? T: “It’s the focus on healthy, fast-casual [food] while still staying exciting. There are so many days when I want to have a healthy meal, but I want something a bit more exciting than a salad or a bit more unique than what I’d make. I think other people must feel this way too, and there aren’t many businesses that tick this box. [My favorite item was] the avocado toast!! It’s just better than any other avocado toast I’ve ever had. It has that wow factor – it’s not something I could have made at home.” When was the ‘a-ha’ moment that made you decide to proceed with opening your own Toastique healthy breakfast restaurant? T: “We visited several locations before Approval Day, and it was at the Chatham location in particular that we really saw ourselves opening a Toastique. [There] we were, loving our yummy, healthy food, watching how busy the store got even on a rainy day, [loving] the cozy feel of it, and just really felt like this was for us! We still wanted to go to Approval Day to be 100% sure, but I would say that was our moment.” Does Tiffany and Todd’s story sound familiar? If you’re in a similar boat the Siegels were in before they found Toastique’s healthy franchising opportunities, there’s nothing holding you back from stepping in their shoes and following suit! If your area is in need of a healthy, fast-casual option and you need a more profitable career path in your life, you’re in the right place. Take the first step to opening your Toastique Gourmet Toast & Juice Bar location today by seeing if you’re a good fit with our 1-minute qualification quiz.
Learn more
How to Choose the Ideal Franchise Territory & How the Seablooms Knew Minneapolis was Perfect for Toastique!
The health food market has been booming for years and is rapidly growing into a $1 TRILLION industry across the globe.* Today’s younger generations are more likely to pay a premium for healthier, sustainably sourced ingredients, so this should mean that any community would be the perfect place to open a Toastique gourmet toast and juice bar. Right? While we’ve seen success virtually everywhere our Franchisees have chosen to open their doors, there are a few factors our team considers first before giving the green light. Let’s take a deep dive into each and learn about how our newest Owners knew their hometown was the perfect place to start their own Toastique business! Factors to Consider When Choosing the Ideal Toastique Territory While more parts of the country are seeing growth in the demand for healthy alternatives to the existing breakfast options in the fast-casual and quick-service restaurant market, that doesn’t necessarily mean that every city or town will be a perfect fit for the Toastique model. Instead of wondering or hoping someone will come along and tell you if your community is a good fit, here are a few factors we recommend looking at to tell if your area is prime territory for our gourmet toast and juice bar franchise. Ideal Customer Profile When you first start to think about your own health-focused restaurant, you’ll first need to consider the type of customer you’ll want to target and attract to your business. At Toastique, our concept is designed to perfectly fit all kinds of people and lifestyles; however, this doesn’t mean that you should target anyone and everyone in your area who might enjoy gourmet toast options in their diet. Instead, imagine your dream customer – whether that’s young professionals on the go or high-earning, health-focused families – and plan to target them. This will not only help you narrow down your search for the perfect brick-and-mortar location, but it will also streamline your future marketing and expansion efforts. Territory Demographics Once you have a clear understanding of who your ideal customer is, you’ll then turn your focus back to your prospective territory or territories and figure out if you can find your dream customers there. In order to do so, you’ll take a close look at the demographics of the area and compare them to your client profile. Your assessment should include things like housing types, age group distribution, income levels, and even recent economic growth and with Toastique, you’ll receive guidance during this step of the process because we want to ensure your breakfast restaurant is successful, too! Look at Other Businesses in the Area At Toastique, we believe that we truly don’t have any competitors that are offering the same delicious products and level of service as our gourmet toast and juice bars. However, that doesn’t mean that you should disregard the other nearby restaurants during your site selection process! Neighborhoods that are highly industrial and are home to only the typical chain restaurants may not be the ideal community for your Toastique; however, a mixed-use area that boasts complementary concepts like coffee shops and full-service local restaurants could be the perfect place for a toast, juice, and smoothie concept like our breakfast franchise. Future Territory Growth If you’re local to the territory, it won’t be difficult to recognize the direction your community is growing. Metropolitan and suburban neighborhoods across the country are seeing record-breaking population growth and development, making them an ideal fit for an entrepreneur that’s looking to maintain and grow their business well into the future. Conversely, certain types of neighborhoods have seen a decline, especially since 2020, making them a more difficult territory to successfully open a restaurant. Depending on the city, these could be downtown areas or even mixed suburban/rural neighborhoods. Wherever you’re considering as your future Toastique territory, make sure you consider how it’s grown in recent years before making your final decision. Please Join Us in Welcoming Our Newest Owners: Scott & Laura Seabloom of Minneapolis, MN! While Minnesota may be a true Midwestern, meat and potatoes state, the young, growing city of Minneapolis is the perfect setting for our next Toastique healthy cafe location! To help us get there, we’re excited to introduce Scott and Laura Seabloom: the hungry, energetic young family with an existing passion for healthy living and dream of business ownership! Becoming the Seablooms Scott Seabloom was born and raised in Minnesota, where he lived the typical active Minnesota lifestyle, with much of his life revolving around fishing (both open water and ice fishing), baseball, road biking, football, and more. After high school, he chose to attend college in Duluth, MN, where he began his career in IT sales and consulting, a path he has continued more than 20 years later. On the other hand, after moving to Minnesota at 25 to pursue her Master’s in holistic health studies at Saint Catherine University in Minneapolis, Laura and Scott crossed paths, and the rest is history. As the pair got to know each other, Laura began working in fashion before pivoting to become a holistic health coach, earning certifications and working both independently and within health and wellness clinics along the way. Since starting their family, Scott and Laura have enjoyed enrolling their family in recreational sports and focusing their life on all things wellness and self-care. However, the pair knew that their diverse backgrounds could complement each other and help them start a business and take their careers on an entirely new trajectory. Scott had been casually looking at franchise investment opportunities for years, the Seablooms finally discovered the Toastique healthy breakfast franchise through a simple internet search, and it suddenly all fell into place. Becoming Entrepreneurs & Getting to Know Toastique Laura had operated as her own freelancer in previous years, but the couple longed to start a business together that allowed them to become financially independent as a family. However, they wanted to do it in a way that empowered them to spread the healthy living mantra through their community at the same time. “We have always discussed owning our own business for a variety of reasons. We love the challenge of owning our own business and the potential financial reward and future flexibility it will create. With Toastique, it also provides the opportunity to pursue a passion while creating an impact in our community and surrounding areas.” The Seablooms considered a variety of fast-casual restaurant franchise concepts, but nothing fit their lifestyle and goals for their family, quite like Toastique’s gourmet toast and juice bar. After Scott first discovered our business model and crunched the initial numbers, he brought Laura into the conversation so the pair could determine if their corner of Minneapolis would be a good fit for their own healthy cafe. Once they recognized the market fit and opportunity to join the growing health food niche – not to mention the promising EBIDTA – they saw in Toastique, there was no question about it: the Seablooms had found the franchise for them! Sitting Down with the Seablooms While Scott and Laura are preparing to open the doors to their first Toastique healthy cafe location in the prime Minneapolis territory, our team was eager to get to know them even more! Luckily, the couple made time to sit down with our team for a quick Q&A, so take a peek at some of the answers they gave us! Why is Toastique the right fit for you? Scott & Laura: “Toastique is the right fit because [it] represents a unique entry point into a niche health market that aligns with how we would eat as a family. We share in their passion for delivering quality food that is both appealing to the eyes and pallet while nourishing your body. [We felt that] Brianna is personable, professional, and passionate. Teamed with Kyle and the rest of the Toastique team, we immediately felt welcomed. They are transparent and want to ensure this is a win/win for everyone.” What did you like about Approval Day? S&L: “We really liked seeing all the DC locations while discussing the pros and cons of each location (size, features, etc.). It was also great how open the discussions were, with Brianna and Kyle walking through certain scenarios, answering detailed questions, and getting to know each of us personally as we went from site to site. Of course, the delicious tasting food and sampling the cold-pressed juices were encouraged, and we took full advantage.” What was the a-ha moment that made you want to franchise with Toastique? S&L: “[It was] our sit-down in the conference room during Approval Day, when Brianna and Kyle walked us through step by step the process from signature to opening day, tools and resources we’d have access to, how-to’s, etc. They answered all the questions we and the other potential franchisees had and were very transparent in [the] discussion. This transparency, along with [the] entirety of the Approval Day, was our ah-ha.” If you’re looking to join the growing health market and feel passionate about bringing a fast-casual restaurant concept to the community you love, like Scott and Laura, Toastique has the business model and fresh, delicious menu that Franchisees are clamoring to join. With new Owners joining us from all over the country, it won’t be long before a Toastique healthy restaurant location pops up in your neighborhood! Will it be you behind the counter, or will you miss out on this franchise investment opportunity? Now that you know where to look to find the best possible territory for your future gourmet toast and juice bar, take the next step in the process by seeing if you qualify to join our healthy franchise family! Who knows – maybe you’ll be the next new Franchisee we feature in a future blog! If you’re ready to say goodbye to corporate life for good and bring a fresh, healthy cafe concept to your community, take our quick qualification quiz to see if you’ve got what it takes today.
Learn more