How Backhouse Enables Compliance, Control, and More Franchisee Choices

Enterprise QSR brands are experts at consistency. They’re replicating the same food and feeling across units, cities, and state lines. These titans make it look easy, but really, it’s a massive effort in project management and compliance.

Guaranteeing the same specs, the same ingredients, and the same equipment in every unit is extremely complicated and time-consuming. As the enterprise grows and more franchisees join, the coordination just gets more difficult. 

The high costs of compliance

Franchisees may independently own and operate their own locations of the enterprise brand, but at the end of the day, they still have to provide the same consistency as franchise-owned locations. And it’s simply not possible for someone from the enterprise to physically be in every single franchise-owned location to supervise every activity to spec.

Plus, starting a franchise—or expanding one that already exists—is expensive. There’s a franchise fee, construction and buildout costs, and, of course, the equipment that will actually prepare all of the food to be sold. ADP reports that startup costs for most franchises land between $100,000-$300,000.

This puts franchisees in a difficult position. It’s part of their agreement to meet brand specs, so they may have no choice but to select vendors and suppliers that have been pre-approved by the enterprise.

Backhouse helps franchisees and the enterprise meet in the middle. Our marketplace serves as an approved equipment catalog, governed by the franchise, that still offers freedom to franchisees trying to source efficiently and cost-effectively while maintaining compliance. Here’s how it works.

Insight and control for franchisors

An enterprise can have total visibility into every franchisee’s Backhouse account. In Backhouse, enterprise employees can set specs for every piece of equipment an operator will need. 

From exact SKUs for manufacturer models to the dimensions a product needs to fit within for the unit buildout, franchisees can get into specifics of what equipment is required under their franchise agreements. After a franchisee makes a purchase, it will become visible to the central franchise office so the enterprise can ensure compliance. 

Free market shopping for franchisees

Part of the beauty of Backhouse is that it encourages transparency. With specs on hand, franchisees can source their own equipment quotes from vendors who actively service their area—and identify the best place to buy from every time.

The franchisee gets peace of mind knowing that they’re able to buy at the best cost, in the most streamlined way possible. Meanwhile, enterprises are able to identify the best buying opportunities, products, and vendors for their base. 

Easy warranty tracking for all

Visibility into product purchases doesn’t just support compliance. It supports asset tracking, too. Both the enterprise and the franchise will have straightforward access to warranty information for all of the equipment they own.

Having the purchase date and warranty specifics available and searchable ensures that equipment isn’t being replaced or repaired out of the franchisee’s own pocket when it’s actually covered by the manufacturer or supplier.

It also helps the enterprise have more information about the total lifecycle of a product: if they notice a pattern of certain SKUs failing early or immediately after the end of a warranty period, it may indicate a bigger problem.

Compliance, meet confidence

Backhouse streamlines equipment procurement, ensuring brand compliance so operators can focus on everything else on their opening checklist. By providing a franchise-governed platform that encourages smarter procurement, Backhouse ensures the enterprise has better systems to organize the ins and outs of every unit while franchisees have a better onboarding experience.

It’s an approach that simplifies buildouts, standardizes equipment purchases, and sets both parties up for a successful and profitable partnership.