Papa John’s store manager becomes multi-unit franchisee

Reza Tohidi used to be a store manager at three Papa John’s locations before buying them out himself and running them as a franchisee.

Tohidi was confident he could do the job well, as he was an Italian restaurant manager for four years, after working in a Birmingham takeaway for nine years. He chose to join pizza franchise Papa John’s after researching investment opportunities.

“I looked at the various major food franchises available and Papa John’s stood out as it was ‘up and coming’, it was expanding in the marketplace and I felt this offered a tempting opportunity.”

Working his way up to management positions, Tohidi first got a job as a Papa John’s delivery driver to get a better understanding of the business.

“After a couple of weeks, I explained I would like to run my own Papa John’s and over time, I was given the chance to help manage several stores. It’s been a long road, but this year I secured funding from NatWest to buy the franchises for Cheltenham and the two Gloucester Papa John’s.”

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The shift has had a significant impact on Tohidi, who is thrilled to be his own boss:

“Now I’m excited about the future. Although it’s still business as usual and nothing changes as I still manage the stores in the same way as before, I am really delighted to be working for myself. Being self-employed means you never get tired. It’s a fantastic feeling to wake up every day with a smile!”

The new franchisee is keen to help grow the business as much as he can, and has planned out his next moves:

“Over the next year I will focus on developing my Papa John’s and growing the customer base further, adding a few more ingredients to our marketing and promotional mix. After that, I may well ‘cook up’ some more ideas for expansion, so watch this space!”