Franchising a Superior Experience
Which Wich is an American brand with around 430 stores worldwide. It's a superior sandwich concept, where the brand provides customized sandwiches as well as milkshakes, fries etc.
The brand has a global reach and is present in Europe, Middle-East, and North & South America.
In conversation with Franchise India, Pratik Parab, Country Manager, Which Wich, talks about the brand’s India expansion plans, market potential and current consumer trends.
Brand Story
Jeff Sinelli started Which Wich in 2003 in Dallas. The brand offers a varied option in sandwiches, which can be customised according to one’s tastes and choices. It is a superior sandwich concept where you have more meat, more cheese and more size as well.
Pratik, explained, “Our bread is of 7 inches as compared to the standard six inches, which are available in the market. We also have our superwiches, which are of 14 inches compared to the foot long. You can add extra meat, extra cheese and we have over 50 sandwiches which can be crafted.
All the wiches can be made in salads or wraps or our trademark, which is lettuce. You can put all the ingredients and instead of bread it can be wrapped in lettuce.”
The Sandwich Market
Currently, Subway is the pioneer in the sandwich market all over the world. Some other popular sandwich brands are Jimmy Jones, Philly cheesesteak etc. Which Wich is among the top 10 sandwich brands in the world.
After Subway, Which Wich and Quiznos are the only international brands for sandwiches, which have gone outside the US and are expanding their franchise network.
“This is because these brands have confidence in their products and they knew that their brand has the depth and quality which can be sold worldwide,” said, Pratik.
Market Potential in India
After the US, India is the second country, which holds the maximum growth potential for Which Wich. This is because India has a higher population and increasing disposable incomes of people indicating high purchasing capacity.
Pratik added, “The cost of food will be less, as every ingredient is easily available in India. And, if we get the right franchise partners, India might overtake the US market in the long run.”
Indianising the Menu
Which Wich is going to have a completely different menu for the Indian customers. “We are Indianising our offerings because we cannot sell beef here. Most people don’t know what turkey is and even pork is not a fast moving item. We will have more vegetarian and chicken options,” commented Pratik.
Customising the products become a necessity while entering a different country. It’s the key to achieve success internationally.
“We change our menu as per the location. For instance, in Middle-east we cannot sell pork. While in the US and UK market, pork and beef are fast moving items,” he added.
Consumer Trends
One of the major trends that are transforming the food & beverage industry is the demand for healthy food options. People are increasingly avoiding carbs, carbonated drinks, meat, gluten etc.
“People prefer healthier options. That’s why even we have introduced Spinach wraps in the menu. This is because consumers, especially females, don’t like to consume carbohydrates or bread. So, we have the option of converting all our sandwiches into salads or wraps. We are trying to cut down on carbs so that we can efficiently serve the customers who are looking to have something healthy and light,” asserted, Pratik.
Business Model
Which Wich is offering the master franchise for an area at an investment of USD40,000.A turnkey project, development cost etc may cost about INR 65 lakhs. So, the total cost would be around INR 1 Crore for a single store and the franchise rights. The royalty rate is around 6% of gross revenue and advertising fund will cost around 1-2% of the gross revenue.
The brand prefers a franchise partner who has financial stability. People with prior business experience have an upper-hand in getting the franchise rights of WhichWich franchise.
Expansion Plans
In India, presently, Which Wich is focusing on seven regions for their franchise expansion plans. These seven regions are Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra which includes Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune; Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kolkata, North-east and South India which includes Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.
