On today’s episode of the Brick and Mortar Reborn podcast, Bobby speaks with David Leonardo, CEO of Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream, a shop serving up fresh, made-to-order ice cream. They discuss Chill-N’s unique way of creating ice cream, and how they’ve automated steps to increase throughput to meet customer demand. They also discuss what makes a successful franchisee, how not to fall into the trap of believing a first profitable store means more profitable stores, how franchisees can instill great customer service in their employees, and how great teams create success.

Topics discussed:

• The evolution of David’s career that spans 20 years in franchising, from Burger King and Wendy’s to his inspiration to start Chill-N, now grown to eleven stores with five more on the way.
• The challenges to scaling, and how Chill-N has used automation to reduce throughput and increase cup production to meet customer demand.
• What the future looks like for Chill-N, including more stores, more operators who understand customer service, and more leverage with vendors.
• What franchisees get wrong about early success, and why it takes opening a portfolio of stores to understand each one’s unique needs.
• How to know when you’ve found a formula for success, and why it’s based on the team you have around you.
• Methods through which Chill-N ensures consistent experiences across locations, including using a Franchise Business Manager as a point person, weekly calls, and empowering managers to “make it right” for customers.
• Trends seen across locations, including seasonality and the rise in delivery demand, which makes up 20-25% of business today.

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