Guy Harper, 32
Which Wich Superior Sandwiches
Baton Rouge + Covington + Hammond + Lafayette
THE FRANCHISE
Founded in Dallas, this national chain touts an unconventional ordering approach for customizable sandwiches. The company received the “Hot Concepts” award from Nation’s Restaurant News and currently has locations in 38 states and eight countries. I twitch a bit when I see the term “unique” used. Suggest we reword slightly to avoid that construction. (From Robert: how about “unconventional”?)
August 2008
Three months after receiving his MBA from LSU, Harper begins working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in New York City.
January 2011
Looking for a new career path, Harper signs on to become a franchisee of Which Wich. He resigns his FDIC job in July and returns to Baton Rouge to oversee construction of his restaurant, which opens in November on Siegen Lane.
January 2013
Harper’s next Which Wich in Covington in the River Chase Shopping Center opens its doors.
June 2014
His Hammond Square Mall location starts serving customers.
November 2014
Harper adds a fourth restaurant, a location on Ambassador Caffery Parkway in Lafayette.
THE LONG VIEW
“You’ve got to be all in. This isn’t a side business. You aren’t going to be successful at this part-time.”
“Take more time interviewing and training employees, because in our industry, the most difficult part is managing the wide array of people and personalities. The employees are why the customers keep coming back.”
“You have to treat [your franchise] like a baby and be on top of it, or it isn’t going to work. When I am in there every day, I know where the sales are. If I step out for the next three months, the sales drop.”
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (Match with August 2008) (iStock No. 12216081)
“I was looking for a brand and business I could do on my own. I wasn’t going to be happy doing a job for the federal government forever. It just clicked. It’s an awesome concept, and a growing brand. At that time, there were zero stores in Louisiana.”
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION: (Match with January 2011) (iStock No. 14444488)
“It’s the typical franchise story in that I didn’t take a day off for seven months. I hired someone at that point and took about a month off. After a year and a half, I started thinking about location number two.”
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (Match with January 2013) (Bowls.jpg in Production folder)
“I was looking for a brand that made sense in the long-term. I wasn’t going to put something up that is on every corner. It’s a phenomenal product and an awesome brand. The more people I met, the more I felt in love with it.”
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (Match with June 2014) (Sandwich.jpg in Production folder — cut the sandwich out)
“Some people are sandwich people. We have customers who come in three or four times a week.”
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (Match with November 2014) (iStock No. 27633896)
“I was engaged in 2012, married in 2013, and in October 2014 we had a baby. My advice: don’t open a store and have a baby in the same week.”
