Hunter and Alison Short have gone from devoted customers of D’Lites ice cream to owners of the Gainesville store. Buying the store from longtime owners Mike Roth and Cindy Noel in May enabled the Shorts to put into practice what they learned at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business Administration. “It’s exciting to carry on a local tradition,” Hunter Short said. “[D’Lites] is still locally owned and operated.”
The Shorts are among a group of business people who enjoy local control of their success while benefiting from corporate branding and business practices. Locally owned chains include Domino’s Pizza, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Heavenly Ham Market Cafe and Subway.
Subway locations in Alachua County are operated by various owners. One of the owners is Zoe Haraden, who invested in one Subway location 32 years ago, and now she owns eight locations. “Subway is very straightforward and simple in comparison to other franchises,” she said. “It has a great product, and it is a well-known brand.”
Harden and her husband Doug have added a Taco Del Mar location on NW 39th Avenue, and they plan to open additional branches of the Mexican food chain.
Finding A Good Fit
Hunter Short grew up with his father owning a convenience store. He started his own landscaping business when he was 16. Despite his entrepreneurial background, he also was interested in becoming a dentist, and he started taking premed courses after he graduated with his business degree. “I realized I wouldn’t be able to get where I wanted to be as fast as I wanted,” he said.
Next, Hunter and Alison Short moved to Palm Beach, where they worked in her father’s millwork company, which makes and installs doors and cabinets. “We realized that we would top out at $20,” Hunter Short said.
The couple traveled to Gainesville, where they stayed with his parents and explored opportunities — including going west for the gas and oil industry. They spotted an intriguing listing of a Gainesville business for sale. “It sounded a lot like D’Lites,” Hunter Short said. “Alison always had a dream of owning an ice cream store, and we loved D’Lites.”
The D’Lites corporation, headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida, has very few strings attached. Stores operate under a licensing agreement, with the only requirement being to buy the company’s ice cream mixture. This contrasts with the initial franchising costs of several hundred thousand dollars to $1 million for many restaurant franchises, Short said.
The Shorts purchased rights to all D’Lites in Florida north of Gainesville. “We want to take a year to make this store self-sufficient and then expand,” he said. The couple doesn’t have any children. “This is our kid for the next few years,” he said.
Local Control Within Corporations
Sometimes franchises revert to company ownership — while keeping a strong sense of local control.
That was the case with the Gainesville-based Comfort Keepers business. When founding owners Lynn Domenech and Jocelyn Holt, who are mother and daughter, decided to sell their franchise in December 2014, the Dayton, Ohio-based Comfort Keepers corporation bought it.
“Lynn and Jocelyn wanted us to be in good hands; corporate empowers us in decision-making,” Care Manager Cindy Flowers said.
“Nothing has changed,” said Ruth Brunner, the office’s sales manager.
Comfort Keepers locally goes beyond corporate expectations with its mentoring of employees, Flowers said. “It’s a cost, but it’s a huge benefit in maintaining quality and retaining employees,” she said.
The business also holds quarterly in-service training at each of its three offices — in Gainesville, Ocala and the Villages. The corporation is interested in including their in-service training model, Flowers said. “They said, ‘We want to learn from you.’ I often get calls from Dayton because they look at us as a leader.”
Pluses and Minuses
Franchising offers great benefits, but the risks are high too, said business attorney Rick Knellinger.
“Creating goodwill on your own is very difficult and time-consuming,” he said. “With a franchise, you have instant brand recognition. The chances of failing with something like a restaurant are much lower with a franchise.”
Franchises may provide a winning formula. “They tell you the location, when to open, how to run the operation and what contractors to use for our buildout,” Knellinger said. “They even provide the recipes.”
But the risks are great too. “I tell clients who are exploring a franchise to check with other franchisees,” he said. “Are they happy? Do they know people who had difficulties with the company?”
Beware of operating agreements. “Many of them have provisions that no one in their right mind would agree to, franchisees sign them because the company has a winning concept and a proven track record,” Knellinger said. “The agreements are complicated and should not be taken lightly.”
Senior Writer CHRIS EVERSOLE has been a keen observer of business, government and culture in the Greater Gainesville Area while living here over the past two decades. His experience includes work with the University of Florida and Alachua County Government. He also has been a journalist and public relations professional in the Tampa Bay and Sarasota- Bradenton areas, as well as in Michigan, Ohio and New York.