Specialist franchise development, partner recruitment and international expansion for restaurant, QSR, café and hospitality brands
Presman & Colard is an award-winning international franchise consultancy with extensive experience across the restaurant, food and beverage and hospitality sectors.
Headquartered in London, with teams across the Middle East, Europe, North America and Asia, we help successful restaurant, QSR, fast-casual, café, bakery, dessert and food-to-go businesses develop complete franchise systems, recruit suitable franchise partners and expand across the UK and international markets.
Our work goes beyond producing franchise documents. We look at the complete commercial and operational model behind the business, from unit economics, food costs, labour and supply chain through to operating procedures, training, site criteria, franchise structure, territory strategy and partner recruitment.
We have supported emerging concepts, established multi-site operators and internationally recognised hospitality brands, helping them turn successful businesses into scalable franchise networks.
Restaurant and F&B franchising is one of our core specialisms
Restaurant franchising requires considerably more than replicating a brand name and menu.
Every new franchise location must be capable of delivering the same customer experience while operating within a commercially viable model. Recipes, kitchen procedures, purchasing, food safety, staffing, service standards, equipment, technology, training and supply chain all need to work consistently across multiple operators and locations.
The challenge becomes greater when a brand expands internationally.
Ingredients may need to be sourced locally. Labour costs change. Property models differ. Delivery platforms can alter store economics. Equipment specifications may need adapting. Menu items may require localisation. Food regulations, import requirements and customer preferences vary between markets.
A successful F&B franchise system therefore needs to protect what makes the original concept successful while creating enough structure and flexibility for it to operate in different locations and markets.
This is where Presman & Colard specialises.
Our franchise consultants work with restaurant and hospitality businesses to build commercially viable, operationally replicable franchise systems designed for sustainable growth.
What types of F&B businesses do we franchise?
Presman & Colard works across a broad range of food, beverage and hospitality concepts.
Quick-Service Restaurants
QSR concepts depend on speed, consistency, throughput and tightly controlled operating procedures.
We help QSR businesses structure their franchise model around kitchen workflow, menu consistency, food costs, staffing, delivery, equipment, training and scalable operating systems.
Fast-Casual Restaurants
Fast-casual concepts often combine QSR-style efficiency with a higher-quality customer experience and product.
Franchise development therefore needs to protect both operational efficiency and the characteristics that differentiate the brand.
Casual Dining
Full-service and casual-dining concepts typically require more complex operating systems covering front of house, kitchen operations, service, reservations, staffing, alcohol where applicable, customer experience and larger property formats.
Coffee Shops and Cafés
Coffee and café franchising requires detailed standards covering coffee sourcing, equipment, drink specifications, barista training, food preparation, customer service, store design and peak-hour throughput.
Presman & Colard has significant experience in this category, including our long-standing work supporting the international franchise expansion of EL&N.
Bakeries and Dessert Concepts
Bakery and dessert businesses may involve central production, specialist equipment, fresh-product shelf life, ingredient sourcing and detailed preparation procedures.
The franchise system needs to establish how those processes can be replicated as the network expands.
Food-to-Go and Delivery-Led Concepts
Food-to-go and delivery-heavy businesses require particular attention to throughput, packaging, delivery commissions, menu engineering, preparation times and the relationship between dine-in, takeaway and delivery revenue.
Premium and International Restaurant Brands
For established hospitality brands entering new countries, the challenge is often less about creating a franchise concept from scratch and more about protecting the original brand while adapting the model for international markets.
Presman & Colard supports this through master franchising, area development, international partner recruitment and market-entry strategy.
What makes a restaurant suitable for franchising?
A restaurant should normally demonstrate that its success can be replicated without depending entirely on its founder, original chef or one exceptional location.
A strong restaurant franchise candidate will generally have:
- A proven trading history
- Healthy and understandable unit economics
- A distinctive customer proposition
- Consistent product quality
- Documented or documentable operating procedures
- A reliable supply chain
- A recognisable brand
- A model capable of operating in multiple locations
- Management capacity to support franchisees
- Sufficient margin for both franchisee and franchisor
- Intellectual property capable of being protected
- Genuine demand outside the existing location
A profitable restaurant is not automatically a franchiseable restaurant.
For example, a site may perform exceptionally because it has unusually low rent, a founder working extensive unpaid hours, an irreplaceable chef, favourable supplier arrangements or a location that cannot easily be replicated.
Our franchise feasibility work examines the business behind the headline turnover to establish whether the model can realistically work for an independent franchisee.
Read more about our franchise system development process.
How Presman & Colard develops an F&B franchise
Our approach is built around the individual business rather than a standard franchise template.
1. Franchise feasibility and brand audit
The first stage is understanding whether the business is genuinely ready to franchise.
We assess the existing operation, financial performance, brand positioning, customer proposition, intellectual property, management structure, supply chain and ability to replicate the concept.
Where necessary, we identify areas that should be strengthened before franchise recruitment begins.
The objective is not simply to make a business franchisable on paper. It is to establish whether another operator can realistically reproduce the concept successfully.
2. Restaurant franchise financial model
Unit economics are central to restaurant franchising.
A franchisee needs sufficient potential return to justify the investment, while the franchisor needs enough recurring revenue to provide proper support and continue developing the network.
Our financial modelling considers the commercial relationship between:
- Revenue
- Average transaction value
- Customer volumes
- Food and beverage cost
- Gross margin
- Labour
- Rent and occupancy costs
- Utilities
- Delivery commissions
- Packaging
- Local marketing
- Central marketing contributions
- Franchise royalties
- Other operating costs
- Store EBITDA
- Initial investment
- Working capital
- Potential payback period
The objective is to establish a model capable of supporting both sides of the franchise relationship.
Sensitivity testing is also important. A franchise model should not only work when sales are exceptional. We examine how changes in turnover, labour, food cost and occupancy can affect franchisee profitability.
For more information, see our franchise finance and profitability FAQs.
Food cost, labour and restaurant franchise profitability
Restaurant franchise economics can be sensitive to relatively small movements in cost.
An increase in food cost, additional labour requirement or higher-than-modelled rent can materially change store-level profitability.
That is why restaurant franchise development should consider the operating model in detail rather than simply applying a franchise fee and royalty to existing turnover.
Food and beverage cost
Recipes, portion controls, supplier pricing, wastage and menu mix all influence gross margin.
The franchise system needs to establish standards that protect consistency while giving franchisees appropriate control over costs.
Labour
Staffing requirements need to reflect the format.
A delivery-led QSR has a very different labour model from a premium full-service restaurant. The franchise financial model should therefore be based on the actual staffing structure required to operate the concept properly.
Occupancy
A concept that works at one rent level may become commercially difficult at another.
Site criteria should consider more than footfall. Size, rent, service charges, extraction, utilities, frontage, delivery access and fit-out requirements can all influence the economics of a restaurant franchise.
Delivery
Third-party delivery can generate valuable incremental revenue but commissions can materially reduce margin.
Franchise financial modelling should therefore distinguish between dine-in, takeaway and delivery sales where the economics differ materially.
Restaurant operations and franchise standardisation
A franchise system turns operational knowledge into a repeatable process.
For an F&B brand, this can cover hundreds of individual standards and procedures.
Depending on the concept, the operating system may address:
Food and product standards
Recipes, ingredients, specifications, preparation, cooking, holding, presentation, portion control and allergen procedures.
Front-of-house operations
Opening and closing, customer service, table management, order processing, complaints, cleaning, cash handling and service standards.
Back-of-house operations
Kitchen workflow, preparation, stock management, waste, storage, cleaning, maintenance and equipment procedures.
Purchasing and supply chain
Approved suppliers, product specifications, ordering, deliveries, storage, substitutions and quality controls.
People
Recruitment, induction, training, role responsibilities, scheduling, performance standards and management processes.
Brand standards
Store appearance, uniforms, packaging, signage, menus, music, customer communication and local marketing.
Technology
POS, delivery integrations, stock systems, scheduling, reporting and other technology required to operate the business.
Presman & Colard converts these requirements into structured franchise documentation and operating systems designed around the individual brand.
Nothing should be documented simply because it appears in a generic franchise manual. The system should reflect how the business actually operates.
Restaurant franchise operations manuals
The operations manual is one of the most important documents in an F&B franchise system.
It explains how the franchisee is expected to operate the business and provides the practical framework for maintaining consistency across the network.
A restaurant franchise operations manual can include:
- Brand standards
- Site opening and closing
- Kitchen procedures
- Recipes and product specifications
- Food preparation
- Portion control
- Equipment operation
- Cleaning
- Food safety
- Stock control
- Purchasing
- Approved suppliers
- Waste management
- Customer service
- Front-of-house procedures
- Staff responsibilities
- Recruitment
- Training
- Technology and POS
- Delivery procedures
- Local marketing
- Reporting
- Quality assurance
- Franchise compliance
The exact structure depends on the concept.
A specialist coffee business, bakery, burger QSR and full-service restaurant should not be given essentially the same manual with different branding.
Restaurant franchise training
Training needs to transfer the knowledge that currently sits with the founders and management team to franchisees and their employees.
Depending on the concept, this may involve:
Franchisee training covering business management, financial controls, brand standards, people management, marketing and compliance.
Operational training covering kitchen and front-of-house procedures.
Product training covering recipes, preparation, presentation and quality.
Management training for general managers and other senior site employees.
Opening support to help the franchisee prepare for and launch the first trading period.
The training programme should work alongside the operations manual rather than operate as a separate system.
Restaurant franchise supply chain
Supply chain is one of the most important considerations in food franchising.
The franchise network needs to maintain product quality and brand consistency while ensuring that franchisees can purchase ingredients and products at commercially viable prices.
This becomes particularly important during international expansion.
A product readily available in London may be expensive or impossible to import into Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Canada or Southeast Asia.
The international franchise strategy may therefore need to distinguish between:
Globally controlled products
Products that are fundamental to the brand and should be sourced centrally or from approved international suppliers.
Locally approved products
Products that can be sourced within the franchisee’s market provided they meet agreed specifications.
Adaptable products
Products or ingredients that may be altered to reflect local regulation, availability or consumer preference without compromising the core brand.
Planning this before entering a market is considerably easier than solving it after a franchise agreement has been signed.
Read our restaurant, café and hospitality franchising FAQs.
Site selection and restaurant franchise property strategy
The right franchisee in the wrong property can still result in an unsuccessful restaurant.
Site criteria should therefore form part of the franchise system.
Depending on the concept, this may consider:
- Target location
- Catchment
- Demographics
- Footfall
- Daypart demand
- Office population
- Residential population
- Tourism
- Competitors
- Store size
- Frontage
- Extraction
- Power
- Delivery access
- Seating
- Outdoor space
- Rent
- Service charges
- Business rates
- Fit-out requirements
- Planning and licensing requirements
Different formats may require different criteria.
A brand may ultimately support flagship restaurants, high-street locations, shopping centres, transport hubs, food halls, kiosks and delivery-focused formats.
The franchise system should define where each format can work rather than assuming every site is interchangeable.
Restaurant franchise fees and royalties
There is no single correct franchise fee or royalty for every restaurant brand.
The commercial structure needs to reflect the strength of the concept, initial support provided, investment requirement, franchisee economics and ongoing responsibilities of the franchisor.
A typical structure can include:
Initial franchise fee
Paid for the right to join the network and receive the initial franchise package.
Royalty or management service fee
Usually an ongoing percentage of revenue.
Marketing contribution
Used to fund central brand and marketing activity.
Technology or other specific charges
Where relevant to the operating model.
International master franchise and area development structures can be considerably different because a partner may receive rights to develop multiple locations or an entire territory.
Presman & Colard models the commercial structure around the specific brand rather than applying the same percentage to every project.
Finding restaurant franchisees
Developing the franchise system is only one part of expansion.
The next challenge is finding people capable of operating it.
Presman & Colard supports brands with targeted franchise partner recruitment across the UK and international markets.
For F&B businesses, we typically assess more than financial capacity.
Depending on the opportunity, a suitable partner may need:
- Restaurant or hospitality operating experience
- Multi-site management capability
- Property knowledge
- Local market understanding
- Recruitment infrastructure
- Supply-chain capability
- Development resources
- Appropriate investment capital
- Cultural alignment with the brand
- A realistic long-term development plan
For larger international territories, we may target established multi-brand operators, hospitality groups, family offices, investors and experienced master franchise organisations.
The objective is not to generate the largest possible number of enquiries.
It is to identify partners capable of successfully developing the brand.
Individual franchise, multi-unit, area development or master franchise?
The right structure depends on the brand and territory.
Individual franchise
One franchisee receives the right to operate one location.
This can be appropriate for domestic UK expansion and owner-operated concepts.
Multi-unit franchise
One franchisee commits to opening several locations.
This can accelerate development while reducing the number of separate franchise relationships the franchisor needs to manage.
Area development
An experienced partner receives development rights across an agreed region and commits to an opening schedule.
Master franchise
A master franchisee receives rights to develop a substantial territory, often an entire country, and may have the ability to recruit sub-franchisees depending on the structure.
Master franchising is commonly used for international restaurant expansion because a strong local partner can bring property knowledge, operating infrastructure, supply-chain relationships and local market expertise.
Read our guide to finding and choosing the right master franchise partner.
International restaurant franchise expansion
Presman & Colard supports restaurant and hospitality brands expanding beyond their domestic market.
Our international franchise work spans the UK and Ireland, Europe, the GCC and wider Middle East, North America and Asia.
With teams across London, Dubai, Kuwait, Cairo, Bangkok and Calgary, we combine central franchise strategy with local and regional market knowledge.
International F&B expansion can involve:
- Market prioritisation
- Territory strategy
- Master franchise development
- Area development
- Partner identification
- Operator assessment
- Commercial negotiations
- Financial modelling
- Supply-chain planning
- Brand localisation
- Franchise documentation
- Trademark strategy
- Training
- Market-entry support
Our international franchise expansion guide explains the wider process.
Restaurant franchising in the Middle East
The GCC is one of Presman & Colard’s most active international regions.
Our Middle East headquarters is in Dubai, supported by our presence in Kuwait and wider regional relationships.
We work with brands and operators across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
For restaurant brands, expansion into the GCC can require careful consideration of:
- Master franchise structure
- Halal requirements
- Ingredient sourcing
- Import restrictions
- Menu localisation
- Delivery
- Mall versus high-street locations
- Labour
- Fit-out
- Local consumer behaviour
- Territory development schedules
Presman & Colard has completed franchise transactions involving internationally recognised hospitality brands across the region.
Learn more about our franchise consultancy in Dubai and our UAE, Dubai and GCC franchise consultancy.
Our restaurant and F&B franchise experience
Presman & Colard has worked across restaurant, QSR, café, bakery, food-to-go and hospitality franchising in the UK and internationally.
Our experience includes developing complete franchise systems, restructuring existing models, creating international franchise strategies, recruiting franchise partners and negotiating master franchise and area development agreements.
Case Study: EL&N | Global Growth
Presman & Colard was appointed by EL&N in 2019 when the brand operated five locations in London.
We developed the complete franchise system and international expansion strategy, establishing the commercial and operational framework required to take the concept into new markets.
Our work included franchise strategy, commercial structuring, unit economics, franchise documentation, operating and brand standards, international market prioritisation, franchise partner profiling and international franchise partner recruitment.
Since then, Presman & Colard has helped support EL&N’s transformation from a London-based café concept into an internationally recognised hospitality brand.
The international franchise programme has resulted in:
- Expansion across more than 30 countries
- More than 40 area development and master franchise partners
- Development across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and other international markets
- A scalable international franchise structure capable of supporting continued global expansion
- Long-term involvement from Presman & Colard in EL&N’s international franchise development
The project demonstrates the importance of building the franchise infrastructure before attempting rapid international expansion.
A successful domestic restaurant concept needs more than international demand. It requires a commercial structure that works for both the brand and its franchise partners, operating standards capable of being transferred internationally, clearly defined partner criteria and a market-entry strategy that protects the brand while allowing appropriate localisation.
EL&N is an example of how a strong restaurant and hospitality concept can use franchising to move from a concentrated domestic footprint into multiple international territories while maintaining a consistent global brand.
Read the full EL&N international franchise expansion case study
Case Study: Crispies | UK Franchise Growth to Saudi Arabia
Crispies is a growing UK quick-service restaurant brand specialising in premium fried chicken, burgers and wings. Presman & Colard was appointed to develop the complete franchise system and support the brand’s franchise partner recruitment and expansion strategy across the UK and international markets.
The Challenge
Crispies had developed a successful and increasingly recognised QSR concept with the potential to grow beyond its existing company-owned operations.
The objective was to transform the business into a structured, scalable franchise proposition while maintaining consistency across food quality, customer experience, operations and brand standards.
As with many emerging restaurant concepts, expansion needed to go beyond simply creating a franchise agreement. The business required the commercial structure, operating systems, franchise documentation and partner recruitment strategy necessary to support multiple operators and eventually international markets.
What Presman & Colard Delivered
Presman & Colard worked with Crispies to develop its complete franchise system and prepare the business for structured expansion.
Our work included:
- Franchise strategy and commercial structure
- Franchise financial and commercial modelling
- Franchise fee and royalty structure
- Franchisee operating framework
- Franchise operations and system development
- Brand standards and operational documentation
- Franchise information and recruitment materials
- Franchise partner profile and qualification criteria
- UK franchise partner recruitment
- International franchise and master franchise strategy
- Franchise partner negotiations and transaction support
- Ongoing franchise development and expansion support
The objective was to create a franchise model capable of supporting both individual UK franchisees and larger international development partners.
UK Franchise Expansion
Following the development of the franchise system, Presman & Colard supported Crispies with franchise partner recruitment across the UK.
Within the first 12 months, five UK franchise licences were finalised, covering:
Ruislip | Wembley | Bristol | Brent Cross | Muswell Hill
The Bristol agreement represented an important stage in the brand’s development, taking Crispies beyond its original London market and demonstrating the ability of the franchise model to support expansion into other major UK cities.
The UK programme continues to focus on identifying suitable franchise partners capable of operating the brand to the required standards while developing a sustainable multi-site network.
From UK Franchising to International Expansion
With the UK franchise platform established, the next stage was international development.
Presman & Colard secured Crispies’ first international master franchise agreement in Saudi Arabia, marking the brand’s entry into one of the Middle East’s largest and fastest-developing restaurant markets.
The Saudi development programme targets an initial five Crispies restaurants within the first 12 months, establishing a platform for longer-term growth in the Kingdom.
The project required consideration of factors extending beyond the original UK franchise model, including local supply chain requirements, product sourcing, restaurant development, operational localisation and the structure required for a master franchise partner responsible for developing multiple locations.
The Results
5 UK franchise licences finalised within 12 months
Expansion across London and Bristol
First international master franchise agreement secured
Saudi Arabia market entry
Initial target of 5 Saudi restaurants within the first 12 months
Ongoing UK and international franchise partner recruitment
The Crispies project demonstrates how Presman & Colard supports restaurant and QSR brands through the complete franchise journey, from building the initial franchise infrastructure through to domestic franchise recruitment and international master franchise expansion.
It also demonstrates the importance of developing a franchise system capable of evolving with the business. A structure initially created to support UK franchisees must be sufficiently robust to accommodate multi-unit operators, international partners, localised supply chains and different commercial and operational environments as the brand grows.
