Broodje Ben

Purpose of Broodje Ben

Broodje Ben has been a well-known name in Utrecht for many years. After a pilot in Groningen, it became clear to owners Martin and Ingrid van Petten that the potential of Broodje Ben extends far beyond Utrecht. Therefore, they approached Koelewijn & Partners to support and advise them in establishing the franchise organization.

Challenges in developing a franchise

Due to the many operational tasks that needed to continue within the existing organization alongside setting up the new franchise organization, it was often a challenge to maintain focus on its development.

About Broodje Ben

Broodje Ben was founded in 2007. The original owner, Ben, realized that in a city like Utrecht, a drastic change was needed. At such a prime location in the middle of the canal, bustling with shoppers, many office workers who enjoy spending their breaks outside, and a large number of students, it had to be possible to create a successful enterprise. And Ben succeeded. He discovered that an affordable freshly baked sandwich topped with the freshest and healthiest ingredients was the key to success. All of this was sold from a sales wagon.

To this day, that has never changed. 'Broodje Ben' has been a well-known name in and around Utrecht for more than 10 years, and also in the student community. This is not least due to the delivery options. In 2014, the business was taken over by Martin & Ingrid van Petten. After a successful start, they quickly realized that there were great opportunities to expand Broodje Ben nationwide. The logical next step was to start a franchise organization.

Our approach

For a balanced and complete setup of a successful franchise organization, several steps must be followed. The very first step was our FranScan® methodology, which addresses all important topics for franchise collaboration. During this step, all policy choices for the further rollout of the franchise organization were made. In particular, the degree of 'maintaining control' over the franchise concept, i.e., to what extent a franchisee has freedom and in which aspects of their business operations?

Then, it is important to assess whether these decisions are financially feasible for both the franchisee and franchisor. A compensation system must also be established. We have realized both through our Franchise Operations Model. During previous discussions, we concluded that two models needed to be developed; one for the sales wagon and one for a physical location.

Finally, the above matters need to be worked out and secured in a franchise handbook and franchise agreement. Martin & Ingrid discovered that the operational matters of the organization demanded a lot of their time, which meant that the setup of the franchise handbook did not progress as quickly as desired. As a result, our consultants have largely contributed to the Broodje Ben franchise handbook.

The result: The Broodje Ben franchise formula

It was clear that the Broodje Ben concept has a lot of potential to grow into an organization with nationwide coverage. After the completion of our consultancy project to develop the franchise organization, Broodje Ben began recruiting & selecting franchisees.

At one point, they even found it necessary to engage in less intensive recruitment activities due to the numerous applications from prospective franchisees. In short, a franchise concept with a lot of potential and demand!