Though some may envy what looks like a great streak of luck in picking winning horses, Rowe has turned identifying a franchisable concept into something of a science - one the company hopes to replicate many times over. One of Fransmart’s other early picks was Five Guys with its help, the “better burger” restaurant became one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in America, eventually expanding from five locations to more than 1,000 worldwide. Rowe and his partners invested in Qdoba when it had just one store, helping to grow it to 100 locations before Jack in the Box forked over $45 million for it in 2003. Owner Steve Ells wasn’t interested in franchising - but Qdoba, a fast-casual Mexican copycat that sprang up soon after, was. One of his bagel shops had been located right across the street from the original Chipotle in Denver, which Rowe quickly recognized as a concept with huge growth potential. From there, Rowe says he wondered, “Instead of growing one company at a time, why don't I grow a whole portfolio of emerging brands?” and in 2000 he launched Fransmart to do just that. It didn’t him long to grow the business to 200 locations, at which point AFC Enterprises - the company that, until just a couple weeks ago, owned Popeyes - bought it for $30 million. After finding quick success with a bagel shop franchise he purchased in his mid-20s, he was hired on to help expand the company’s footprint. Rowe is a restaurant industry veteran - “a back-of-house grunt,” as he puts it - who got his start as a dishwasher. “We're specifically trying to find the next big thing.” Nearly three decades later, the Halal Guys has 35 storefronts - most opened in just the last two years - with plans for hundreds more in the works. After pivoting to slinging halal rice platters and gyro sandwiches, word of mouth propelled the cart into cult status before long, it was a popular haunt for locals and tourists alike. What was in demand, however, were more dining options for the city’s sizable fleet of Muslim cab drivers. In 1990, they launched a hot dog cart, but quickly realized Manhattan didn’t need more hot dogs. After emigrating from Egypt to New York City, founders Mohammed Abouelenein, Abdelbaset Elsayed, and Ahmed Elsaka worked in restaurant kitchens and as cab drivers. The Halal Guys origin story so perfectly embodies the archetypal immigrant success story that it would sound like a made-for-marketing cliche if it weren’t actually true. It’s also the only one that also boasts a multi-million dollar franchising agreement that’s taken it from Los Angeles to Boston and as far off as the Philippines - and the team is just getting started. While chicken and rice bathed in garlicky white sauce can be purchased from numerous other street vendors, the Halal Guys is the most well-known. The food cart’s tagline is plastered in large, bright blue type in at least four different places: “We are different.” Likely adopted in an attempt to differentiate itself from all of the other halal food carts that dot NYC streets, the slogan has come to ring especially true over the past couple of years. They’re not waiting to get their hands on the latest Cronut flavor or the new iPhone, but rather foil platters heaped to the brim with fragrant chicken and rice from the Halal Guys. On any given day in Manhattan, be it a balmy 80-degree afternoon or after midnight in the dead of winter, a long line of people can be seen snaking up the sidewalk at West 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in Midtown.
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