Milky Lane’s Shane Fitzgerald to tackle how the brand went for the franchise route

Franchising helped them focus on sustaining their business.

Milky Lane General Manager Shane Fitzgerald will join fellow industry leaders at the QSR Media OP Central Conference and Awards’ Founders and Young Entrepreneurs Panel.

Apart from this, Fitzgerald said the QSR sector is making accessible food whilst providing a better experience and convenience for customers at an affordable price.

He also talked about the importance of delivery options for the QSR industry. To do this, brands need to build their digital presence.

See Fitzgerald’s Q&A below:

QSR Media: What is the state of the QSR/fast casual restaurant industry from your point of view?

Fitzgerald: QSR isn't what we knew QSR to be; we're making good food more accessible now while still blending experience and convenience at an affordable price point. 

If there's one thing that came out of the pandemic, it's how we fast-tracked the use of technology; a lot of the fast pivots made during the pandemic stayed with us in today's model; like contactless ordering, for example. The industry was forced to move towards a digital presence, whether it be direct online ordering, technology development, or building your database. 

There has also been a significant shift towards delivery which has enhanced the market share in the industry, and we have had to identify multiple avenues of delivery service, all while having a focus on the service in the delivery itself. At Milky Lane, we are focusing on the experience dine in and an at-home experience. 

What are some key lessons/insights/trends that brands have learned/further understood/need to know as we navigate current challenges?

With the pace at which technology is moving, if you aren't embracing it then you are going to be left behind. We learned the importance of integrations to streamline our operations; Kounta, SevenRooms, and Sprout are just an example. Being able to essentially automate processes that were previously manual gives us the freedom to focus on what matters, the customer, which we can all agree in today's staffing shortages, makes a big difference.

Another important lesson we learned is the pace at which the order-in/delivery sector is growing. It is important to consider how this will impact your sales split / net profit with the high cost of the delivery aggregators.

What can we expect from your panel discussion at this year's QSR Media Conference & Awards?

Why did Milky Lane choose the franchise route 

• Focusing on sustaining the business through relooking at resources, time, and energy.
• Franchising to scale successfully.
• Putting the franchisee first to make them as profitable as we can.

Some key learnings from our journey 

• Culture is everything; it's a passion for me. I truly believe in the top-down leadership effect. 
• Find the right people for the right role and people as passionate as you. 
• Staff shortages are real! Roles are hard to fill with good people so retention is more important than ever.
• The key to surrounding yourself with subject matter experts.