As the founder of the Franchise Research Institute, I am sometimes asked why mega-franchises like McDonalds and Subway don't seem to rely on franchisee satisfaction surveys to market their franchise opportunities, when it proves to be such a valuable tool for other franchisors, not only for marketing purposes but also for key internal decisions.

Have you noticed that Kodak is nearly out of business? Growing up in the 1960’s and ‘70’s, I saw that nearly every family had a Kodak camera. I still have mine.

Within the next 15 years we will see dramatic changes in the franchising business. Today the business is saturated with “me too” so-called concepts that lack adequate business model legs to survive even at marginal profitability through the life span of their franchise agreements. Their FDDs are fiction and fantasy, and those who buy them lack relevant sophistication for small business investment (to put it mildly).

I had the opportunity to travel throughout the States in November and December. I visited a lot of restaurants, seeing not only good things and good people but also operational issues that result in leaving dollars on the table. These are things that slice revenues and generate more expenses for a business.