Don Fox is the new director of franchise compliance for Firehouse Subs.
HOW LONG HAS HE BEEN ON THE JOB?
“Six months. I was looking to work on the franchise side of the business and the timing was great. Firehouse is at a stage in their growth where they needed somebody to specialize in that part of it.”
WHAT IS HIS ROLE?
“I have two key roles. One is to make sure the franchisees in the area comply with our policies and procedures. Also, on the corporate side, to make sure the company is delivering everything we’re committed to deliver. I ensure that both signatories to the agreement comply with their obligations. That’s the technical explanation. I’m really out there to help drive results on the franchise side of the business to ensure the continued success of the brand and stay focused on our key result areas.”
WHAT IS MEANT BY “KEY RESULT” AREAS?
“We want to stay focused on the average restaurant sales volume, operational performance, financial health of the operators and to put in place the systems, training and programs we need to make sure those parts of the business stay healthy.”
IS HIS ROLE SIMILAR TO THAT OF A REGIONAL MANAGER?
“The primary people I work with are the area representatives. Right now, we have 13 area rep territories throughout the Southeast. I’m their primary point of contact. I make sure they’re meeting their obligations. In our business model, the area rep provides most of the services to the franchise community. The area reps are franchisees themselves. They have at least one training restaurant in their territory. They own and operate that restaurant. As other franchisees build in their territory, they service those accounts. Training is done at the area rep’s restaurant. My role is to help guide them in their relationships with their franchisees and help them administer their business.”
HOW MANY LOCATIONS ARE UNDER HIS CONTROL?
“We have 113 total stores, 80 of them are franchised.”
WHAT IS HIS BACKGROUND?
“The majority of my food service career, 23 years, was spent at Burger King Corporation. I started in 1980 as an assistant manager in Tampa. I was in field operations for the first nine years. Then I went from restaurant manager to district manager to field consultant. For six years, I was in their world headquarters in Miami in their research and development department and also doing operations systems development, which is basically writing their operation manual, developing the training programs and so on. I also did new concept development designing new types of restaurant facilities. Then I came back to the field and served for eight years in Jacksonville as a field representative in the Jacksonville/Savannah/Gainesville market.”
WHY LEAVE BURGER KING?
“Burger King had become a very stagnant organization. They were having a lot of internal problems. The area I was managing was able to rise above that, but that wasn’t the case across the entire system. They were starting to go through reorganization. Burger King was sold to a private investment group earlier that year so it was a good time to move on.”
HOW IS FIREHOUSE BETTER?
“Firehouse is a hot, growing concept. When I first got to meet the ownership, it was such a high-energy, enthusiastic group of people. After all those years with Burger King, watching a brand that made a lot of mistakes, especially in their choice of franchisees, and looking at the flaws in their system, it’s been great being able to come into a system at the stage in their development where you can really get it right.”
WHAT CHANGES HAs HE MADE SO FAR?
“In the last six months we’ve been able to step it up a level by implementing new systems and best practices for our area representatives to help them manage their areas more effectively. As an example, we’ve implemented a business plan process that our area representatives and individual franchisees will complete each year to follow up on their action plans and business rules to improve their business.”
WHAT CHALLENGES DOES HE FACE?
“In a younger, growing organization, the people within have to wear more hats than in a more mature organization. I find it incredibly fun because you get to step outside the normal box and learn a heck of a lot. Our challenge as we grow is to continue to set high standards in the franchisee selection process and that no matter how many restaurants we develop, we can keep replicating that formula.”
WHERE ELSE HAVE HE WORKED?
“I had four years at Six Flags amusement park in food service management in New Jersey. That’s where I got my start in food service back in 1976. I didn’t graduate from college. The one year I went, I was a music major. For three years I played trumpet in bands at night. I played a lot of jazz, R&B and fusion rock. I had a lot more hair back then, so I looked the part.”
WHERE DID HE ATTEND SCHOOL?
Glassboro State College in New Jersey.
WHY QUIT MUSIC?
“I came to the realization that it would not satisfy all of my long-term goals, especially financial. And, at the time, I was succeeding in the restaurant industry. I always loved working with people and the whole business dynamic so I decided to stay with food service long-term.”
THE FOX FAMILY
Fox and his wife of 14 years, Stephanie, live in Julington Creek with their two preteen sons, Alex and Andrew. “Jacksonville is a great place to live and work and my family loves it here.”
BURGERS TO BOOKS
“Patton’s Vanguard,” Fox’s first published book, chronicles the 4th Armored Division of the U.S. Army in World War II. The non-fiction piece is targeted for military audiences and history enthusiasts. Martin Blumenson, Patton’s official biographer, wrote the book’s foreword. The first copy shipped out three weeks ago.
WHAT AFFILIATIONS DOES HE HOLD?
Fox is a member of the Julington Creek Athletic Association and the Florida Writers Association.
WHAT ARE HIS PERSONAL INTERESTS?
Coaching his sons’ baseball teams and amateur astronomy.
HOW MANY SUBS DOES he EAT?
“I average about four a week.”
— by Monica Tsai