Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2024 February 25

= February 25 =

Raising Awareness of a Franchise Brand
Hello, I was wondering if there was anything I could do in my power to make people in my area more aware of the existence of a particular franchise? I have seen this franchise in a US tv show, and I am obsessed with it. It would be a dream come true for this franchise to open a store or stores near me, as I have always wanted to visit it, but the distance is too great.

My main idea at this point is to find some way of making influential people aware of this business. I want to communicate it to them so that they will consider it when thinking about becoming a franchise owner or increasing their existing portfolio. I was wondering if there was a place on the web where this kind of person can be found. That way, I could begin to try to get them interested in the franchise. Obviously, they would make the final decision about what they want to invest in, but I would at least like them to know that this business is a possible option.

So, if any of you have any leads for this kind of thing, then I would greatly appreciate that, and my mission to bring this franchise to Glasgow could then be completed.

NOTE: I am not asking for the ability to control and manipulate people, I am only asking for ways to present my ideas to them. They will always have the freedom to choose if they are interested in them or not.Pablothepenguin (talk) 14:55, 25 February 2024 (UTC)
 * You should contact this franchise and inquire whether they have any plans to become present in your city. You could encourage people to contact the franchise and enter into business with them, by lobbying or whatever. Who do You mean by 'influential people'? --Ouro (blah blah) 15:56, 25 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Wealthy people with enough money to open franchises as well as people who already have experience with this. I am not rich enough to open a franchise myself. The main difficulty is finding these people. Pablothepenguin (talk) 16:25, 25 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Look who's got larger companies, better houses, better cars in the neighbourhood? Who runs for local offices? Who LOOKS like they're wealthy? Ask around? Maybe someone's refurbishing old factory buildings and turning them into upscale lofts in your area? That kind of thing. I guess. --Ouro (blah blah) 20:30, 25 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I was hoping there was a way to find people like this on the internet. I’m not very good at face to face conversations. Pablothepenguin (talk) 20:34, 25 February 2024 (UTC)
 * As I asked before, where on the internet do I find the right sort of people for my purposes? There has got be some places online where owners of existing franchises in my country can be found.
 * This whole darn thing makes little sense to me in any case. It should not be this hard to find franchise owners and potential franchise owners. I’m getting very annoyed now that I can’t figure this out. Pablothepenguin (talk) 20:51, 26 February 2024 (UTC)
 * No reason to get annoyed. I cannot think of an approach that can plausibly help you to reach your goal. BTW, have you researched the franchisor? Do they have any locations in your country? Do you have a basis for the supposition that operating a franchise near where you are located is a commercially interesting proposition? --Lambiam 21:13, 26 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Don’t be that way. There must be a way somewhere. Of course opening a franchise would work. We don’t have anything like this franchise in my area. There is a huge gap in the market for it. Lots of people would love it, and it would get the high levels of popularity it gets in the US here. I did my research just fine.
 * Please could someone enlighten me who knows what they are talking about? Pablothepenguin (talk) 21:50, 26 February 2024 (UTC)
 * One need not be influential to become a franchisee. Most business or franchise owners are not wealthy or influential people, or if they are, they did not start out that way. One just needs the wherewithal to operate a business, the ability to draw up a well-researched business plan showing a good likelihood of success and the skill to negotiate with the franchisor and a bank. Given a good business plan and a cooperating franchisor, there will be banks providing a loan under reasonable conditions. So you need to find people with an entrepreneurial spirit looking for an opportunity. Wealthy people have already found their opportunities. Some articles on becoming a franchise owner:, , , , . --Lambiam 11:10, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Some important caveats to your input:
 * 1. I live in Scotland. I doubt this really matters but it should borne in mind.
 * 2. Links 2 & 3 don't work.
 * 3. My main obstacle is finding hang out spots on the web for such people. I seek the sort of place where stuff I post can be read by millions. Pablothepenguin (talk) 12:18, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I realized you live in Scotland and checked for specific legal issues before responding, but according to our article there are no franchise-specific laws in the United Kingdom. All these links work for me; in any case, you already get a reasonably thorough overview from the other three. If by "such people" you mean wealthy influential people, I suspect that that is not the best angle. Does the chain have a subreddit, such as, for example, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen? You might see if there are fellow townspeople who share your obsession and are willing to work on a plan to raise awareness. --Lambiam 19:55, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
 * First of all, I can confirm that links 3 and 4 are returning 403 Forbidden errors. Are they geographically restricted perhaps? I don’t have a VPN to check, so I don’t know.
 * Anyway, I was wondering if there were any obvious online places where small business owners and similar folks can be found? That would help a lot. Pablothepenguin (talk) 20:27, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
 * What is with the long pauses in activity on this desk? There hasn’t been a single word in over 15 hours. People need to wake up if progress is to be made. Pablothepenguin (talk) 23:06, 28 February 2024 (UTC)
 * Maybe because (a) people need to sleep and (b) we have run out of things to tell you. Unfortunately, the World works the way as it does, not how we would like it to. Maybe some responders would have more interest if you told us what franchise you were talking about – why should anyone care about progress being made if they don't know what is to be progressed? {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.126.225.254 (talk) 01:36, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I am currently in the process of looking for places to find relevant people. In particular, I’ve been poking around Reddit for a couple of days now. I will keep looking. Also, I’ll think about how to clarify what kind of franchise I’m after. I might post something about that later today, if I’m not too busy. Pablothepenguin (talk) 08:58, 29 February 2024 (UTC)
 * The irony of someone complaining about people not responding to their vague questions fast enough by saying "I might post something about that later today, if I’m not too busy."--User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 13:43, 29 February 2024 (UTC)

Fair point, actually. I would like to say that I am talking about something that we don’t really have in my area. I refer, of course, to frozen yogurt. I think that this could be a popular thing here. Although we do have a few dessert places in our area, we don’t have frozen yogurt in particular. It would be a nice thing to have, especially in the summer months. Now, it won’t be an easy thing to introduce. After all, Italian style ice cream is very popular in Greater Glasgow and Ayrshire, and Galloway dairies also exist, but sometimes it’s good to be different for once. It would be nice to break up the monotony of our existing dessert options. By necessity, such a thing would work best in Glasgow itself, and maybe Edinburgh, so independent dessert parlours in rural areas need not be too concerned. Quite easily I believe my intentions are pure, and the joy that will be brought to people by these ideas will surely justify the expense. I will be patient, and I will never give up, even if it takes years. Pablothepenguin (talk) 19:09, 29 February 2024 (UTC)


 * It strikes me that it would be far easier to persuade local producers to make, and existing dessert/ice-cream parlours to offer, frozen yoghurt as an addition to their menu than to introduce a separate new franchise specialising in a comestible hitherto unfamiliar to the Hibernian populace. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.126.225.254 (talk) 15:33, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * The machinery and ingredients used by franchises may be required to be purchased from specific suppliers that are not available in your country. It is unlikely that the company would grant a single franchise location so far outside of their usual area as the increased costs and difficulties would hinder profitability. The suggestion of a local company adding frozen yogurt to their offerings seems more likely to succeed.--User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 16:11, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * For many years there was a frozen yoghurt stall in Hempstead Shopping Centre, Kent. I've no idea if it was a franchise or an independent business.  It had to move to make way for extended seating at a Greggs.  Your idea is not therefore novel in the UK as a whole, but I know nothing about the business other than a happy customer. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 16:32, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * In reply to the above comments, I note that the IP user has gotten my country wrong, so I will consider their comment to not be trustworthy. Besides, Martin of Sheffield says that the idea is not novel in the UK anyway. I would also like to respond to the comments of Khajidha by saying that the franchise I’m interested in does actually have a few locations further afield. In particular, it has a few in the Middle East which is further away from the US than I am. Therefore, they probably have a way to handle this. I don’t think their frozen yogurt machines are that specialist anyway, and they could probably ship them to Scotland and convert them to 230v 50Hz without much difficulty. Finally, I don’t think adapting an existing business would work, as a big part of the franchise is its customer experience which isn’t something we have here. I’m talking about things such as mascots, kids parties, and their variety of flavours. Although we have these things individually, we don’t have anyone who does all of them at once. Pablothepenguin (talk) 17:24, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I would also like to add that the franchise has some other unique aspects that we don’t have. It takes a very cutesy approach to guest experience, and it places a great emphasis on putting smiles on customers’ faces. It is known to have a bright open plan layout in its stores, with a generous amount of space. But perhaps above all, the thing that it does that is the most important is use a self-service approach. Customers in this case can dispense their own frozen yogurt and bring it to the check out. There it will be weighed, as it is priced by weight. There is also an area with sauce and rows of toppings. This is quite different to any dessert place near me. Therefore, I cannot and will not rely on existing businesses near me, and I certainly won’t be making suggestions to them. Pablothepenguin (talk) 18:18, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Is your shining example by any chance Menchie's Frozen Yogurt? I see that there are an amazing number of US-based frozen yogurt chains that use the self-serve model: next to Menchie's also 16 Handles, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt, Sweet Frog, TCBY, Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, Yogurt Mountain, Yogurtland, and Yumilicious. Whose approaches will appeal most to Edinbronian and Glaswegian customers? Time for a study tour. --Lambiam 21:13, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Most soft ice machines, which are readily available on the market in a range of capacities (and prices), can also dispense frozen yoghurt. I don't immediately see why an enthusiastic entrepreneur would prefer to become a franchisee to a locally unknown overseas franchisor and not simply begin as an independent business (with the potential, in case of overwhelming success, of expanding into a national chain). --Lambiam 20:53, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I can confirm that I had Menchie’s in mind. I would also like to state that there will be people in my country who know about them due to Undercover Boss. Also, spreading knowledge about this chain was the precise reason why I started this thread in the first place. That is what I need help doing. And, I will remind you of the fact that I specifically said I wanted nothing to do with local business. The fact they are not major chains yet proves they are not good enough. Also they STILL don’t have the mascots, open plan layouts or self-serve methodology that are as yet missing from my wonderful nation. Also, last time I checked, becoming a franchisee is surely cheaper and easier than starting an ENTIRE new business from scratch. Also, I specifically sought ways to get in contact with entrepreneurs about this, and you have still failed to give even the slightest hint at where they congregate online. I am simply trying to end a personal injustice that I cannot wrap my head around. I want answers. Pablothepenguin (talk) 21:42, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
 * There's a programme that offers "support from like-minded entrepreneurs" . 2A00:23C7:9C8C:4E01:8C:BE26:D6:E6AF (talk) 16:34, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Interesting, but I don’t know how that could help with my situation. Pablothepenguin (talk) 17:20, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I am still waiting to hear of online places where potential franchisees hang out. My patience is being severely tested and I am getting very annoyed now. Could someone please resolve this situation? Thank you. Pablothepenguin (talk) 20:34, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Still waiting… Pablothepenguin (talk) 22:53, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I don't know whether there are places where entrepreneurs congregate online. If there are, I don't know about them. I also don't know how to search for them. --Lambiam 23:16, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Ok then, in that case, I will try asking on a Subreddit. I will also think of other possible actions for me to take. I will try to come up with something by the end of tomorrow. Pablothepenguin (talk) 00:09, 3 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I am still trying Reddit. I am also diversifying my search. So, would anyone know a way to quickly get the word out about Menchie’s to as many people in my area as possible? Thank you. Pablothepenguin (talk) 20:39, 3 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Still waiting for a response. This reference desk is an absolute joke. It should not take this long to get an answer. Pablothepenguin (talk) 10:45, 4 March 2024 (UTC)
 * If you go to and type "entrepreneurs" into the search box you receive this invitation: If you Log in you could create an "Entrepreneurs" node.   If you don't have an account you can register here. This discussion Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2008 September 23 refers to Glasgow ice cream wars.   You (I assume it was you) received an awful lot of advice at Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2020 December 14   You can get started on your franchise journey at . Back in 1971 McDonalds had just opened their first restaurant in Western Australia (possibly the whole of Australia) on the corner of Canning Highway and Stock Road, Perth.   I would imagine there are many more of them now, so it’s doable.   Good luck. 31.48.139.108 (talk)
 * I am STILL waiting for a serious reply. I need to know where I put up a message that lots of people will read. Pablothepenguin (talk) 19:19, 4 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I would like to apologise for sounding annoying over the last few days. I am going through a very rough period at this moment in time due to personal matters. I know I shouldn’t have been this way. I hope that you can understand, and I will try to be a bit more civil from now on. I’m also sorry for being impatient, I will try and work on that as well. Pablothepenguin (talk) 21:42, 4 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I thank you all very much for your valued input. I still hope that there will be a store near me soon. I also hope that better days will be ahead. I am no longer annoyed with the reference desk, and I will look forward to the day my dream comes true. One more thing, I was wondering if there was anything that I could do to make amends for being annoying on this desk? Pablothepenguin (talk) 19:26, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Please draw a picture of a penguin, upload it on imgur.com and post a link here. The ideal potential franchise owner is not too bright and has a lot of money. You can probably find em at the golf club and in any crypto scam. Polygnotus (talk) 11:11, 10 March 2024 (UTC)
 * What on earth are you talking about? Pablothepenguin (talk) 12:13, 10 March 2024 (UTC)