Many entrepreneurs seek out franchise opportunities with the most recognizable name brands and established supply chains. The thought process is that a more identifiable branding means more profit. The trouble is that large-scale operations can often hide rough trade-offs for owners.
Compared to a burrito franchise with a local footprint, big names in everything from casual dining to counter service coffee may not necessarily set you up to win. You want to find an opportunity with reasonable franchise fees, royalties, brand recognition and sustainable growth at scale.
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The Big Players by the Numbers
Franchise opportunities are never in short supply in the United States. You can find research on leaders in various categories. For example, McDonald’s is the revenue leader, with 2023 systemwide sales of $129.5 billion. If you’re looking to expand, 7-Eleven has over 85,000 international locations, with some in Japan going viral on popular social media platforms like TikTok.
Revenue and number of stores aren’t the only indicators for finding a restaurant franchise. Subway tops the list of most U.S. locations, but that didn’t stop over 630 locations from closing in 2024 due to overexpansion and legal issues. If you’re considering buying a Taco Bell franchise, you can emulate the actions of the largest franchisee, Flynn Group, which operates over 2,300 units, including Applebee’s, Panera, Pizza Hut and more.
The trouble is giant franchise opportunities like this carry a ton of name recognition but can also carry higher franchise royalties, fees, over expansion and market cannibalization due to trade area and market distance. In other words, you will feel pressured when going with the “big boys” in the industry.
Why Bigger Often Means Less Control
When you find the best fast food to franchise from a massive international company, you’ll run into the problem of scale equaling uniformity. The larger the system, the more likely it is that royalties, ad contributions and tight operational budgets will eat away at revenue and lead to saturated markets.
Imagine buying a Mexican franchise with thousands of units where you feel lost in a sea of the same marketing and prepackaged food items. That is the case for buying a Taco Bell. You’ll quickly lose operational flexibility as capital profiles require razor-thin margins. A franchise like Taco Bell leaves little room for personalized attention. In contrast, the focused support from Ori’Zaba’s Scratch Mexican Grill offers a personalized experience that goes into each location, ensuring freshly prepared food in a family-oriented environment.
The Case for Focused Brands
Scale alone isn’t a successful strategy for a burrito franchise. It’s more about finding a fit based on product quality, guest loyalty and owner support. Ori’Zaba’s achieves this by offering scratch-made recipes and a versatile operating model, allowing you to respond to local neighborhoods and customer demands. The focus on bold, fresh flavors, along with the ability to cater to custom dietary needs like vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free, ensures that first-time customers convert into loyal brand advocates.
Having a franchise that offers more open territory, tighter coaching and an extremely clear marketing story ensures longevity. Couple that with personalized attention and freshly sourced ingredients and you get a system designed to protect neighborhood branding as you scale.
Bigger Isn’t Better, Better Is Better
The “largest” franchise brands aren’t automatically the best. What works is finding a resilient unit with an economical and long-term brand equity that fits your market and ensures sustainable growth.
Ori’Zaba’s offers a focused franchise with the support you can count on and disciplined cost structures that outperform giant networks. Instead of being the same as the other thousands of owners in your brand, you get more control over building the reputation you want with numbers that back up your choice.
Many entrepreneurs should start looking beyond brand name and revenue size. Be among the few who focus on what really matters: great products, a repeatable playbook and a sustained success purpose. That is what you get when you franchise with Ori’Zaba’s.
