The District Manager, Critical for Multi-Unit Success
A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of interviewing Farhan Abbas, the largest Popeyes franchisee in Canada and one of its most-awarded operators, as part of the Franchise Wisdom series I do for our Franchise Success Formulas Podcast.
Farhan started his franchise journey by buying not one but five Popeyes restaurants at the same time. Pretty early, he realized that to succeed as a multi-unit operator, he needed more than just a well-known, proven franchise brand. He also required someone to help him oversee operations, because he couldn’t be in all the stores at once.
“You can run and manage one or two stores, but once you get to five or six units, you can't do it yourself. You need extra help. That’s when you need a District Manager.”
Now, with over 78 restaurants in Canada, this Multi-Unit Franchisee relies on these leaders to run the business so he can focus on growth, aiming to reach 100 units in the country.
What is the District Manager's job? What are the key responsibilities of this leader? What does it take to have successful DMs in this position? That’s what we’ll review in this blog post, inspired by Farhan’s multi-unit journey.
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The District Manager’s Job and Responsibilities
Depending on the company, District Managers can also be known as Regional Managers, Area Managers, Area Coaches, Area Supervisors, or Multi-Unit Leaders. Whatever the name, their relevance is critical in the franchise industry, especially for multi-unit organizations.
These leaders oversee multiple stores, though they are not directly responsible for the management of each unit.
Here at the American Franchise Academy, we believe that among the different roles in our industry, the District Manager is the most difficult job because of the challenges it entails and the specific skills required to overcome them.
In summary, the key responsibilities of a District Manager include protecting the franchise brand, looking after the people working in the stores in their district, and ensuring the stores are profitable and the business is growing. Additionally, this leader represents the franchise owner to the team.
To fulfill all of the duties and roles of the Multi-Unit Leader, they must:
- Lead and inspire people to be great, because everything they accomplish will be through their team members.
- Plan and organize their daily agendas, prioritizing their actions to address the urgent things first and drive positive change in the business.
- Handle the staffing, but not in terms of hiring, but in making sure their Unit Managers have the tools, resources, and support they need to hire, train, and retain the people they need. The District Manager is also responsible for developing the future leaders of the organization.
- Execute, but not directly. Instead, it is about inspiring, training, and coaching their Unit Managers and team members to execute the brand and business systems with a high level of excellence. They do that by conducting effective unit visits.
- Monitor equipment and unit maintenance to ensure everything is operating correctly and is safe for the team and customers.
- Co-create the local store marketing plan with the Unit Manager to increase sales annually.
- Produce the results and profitability that the business owner expects as a return on the investment in that franchise brand.
Keep learning: The 7 Critical Responsibilities of a District Manager (Extended)
What Great Training Does for Your District Managers
The District Manager position became more strategic for Farhan when he began expanding from the Greater Toronto Area to other provinces in Canada. Although it was costly, he decided to hire somebody from another brand with experience managing multiple stores. “I knew we needed somebody who had been in the business longer than us and could teach us”, he said.
In 2022, when Farhan’s organization reached around 40 units, he started looking for ways to improve the leaders’ performance. He turned to Google to research how larger franchisees in the US were succeeding, and that’s how he discovered the American Franchise Academy and our LEAD Program.
This is a Multi-Unit Leadership Certification designed for new or experienced District Managers, Franchisees overseeing multiple units, or Super General Managers who will be promoted to Multi-Unit Leaders. During this 10-week training, we equip them with the systems, tools, and leadership skills to successfully manage multiple units.
Farhan reviewed our curriculum and methodology and decided to enroll some of his District Managers in our elite training program. As of today, many of his leaders have earned their certification.
While he has always been an A-rated franchisee, his organization reached a new level once his District Managers began enrolling in our elite training program. “To be honest, the LEAD Program has been a great help”, he shared.
Yes, he was familiar with being recognized by the franchise for his performance, quality, service, and results, but in 2022, after discovering our District Manager training program, one of his stores received the Silver Plate Award. In 2023, his organization earned two Silver Plates and one Gold Plate, the ultimate national award.
2024 has been his best year yet. They received the Developer of the Year award, one Gold Plate, and the Crystal Plate Award, a Popeyes global franchisee distinction, marking the first time any franchisee outside the US won that award.
The franchise brand noticed all of these exceptional results. “When the Popeyes team asked me what I was doing differently, I referred them to you! I answered, ‘All my District Managers are trained by Aicha!’”
If you missed part 1 of our conversation, click below to review Farhan’s Multi-Unit success journey:
The Importance of Professional Training for District Managers
The District Manager’s job involves more than just supervising the operations of multiple stores in different locations. Their goal is to strategically move the district forward, guiding, coaching, and inspiring the teams in the units to do a great job at implementing and executing the brand and the business systems.
If they can do this, the organization's profitability will increase, helping the business owner achieve their business and financial goals. However, as a franchise enterprise grows, the District Manager role becomes more complex, as Farhan learned over the years.
That’s why it is critical for the Multi-Unit Leaders to receive proper training, not only to acquire the knowledge and develop the leadership skills they need to succeed, but also to clarify the key responsibilities of a District Manager, because their job is very different than that of a Unit Manager.
Farhan explained during our interview that franchisees tend to promote their best General Manager into the District Manager role; however, most don’t even know what it entails to make that shift. “They are smart, hardworking, and talented, but they don't know what they should do and should not do”.
Thanks to our professional certification program for District Managers, his leaders are now executing their roles as they should, coaching, inspiring, and teaching their teams to be their best selves, which, in turn, has improved the business results and profitability.
“They no longer do their office work in the stores. Now, they concentrate on doing things there. And they know how to manage from one store to six stores, how to manage more people, and how to manage their time. It has been a great tool for everybody”.
This was possible because those who get promoted to District Manager have received the tools and training to help Farhan's organization thrive. “The amount of time and money you spend on that employee will benefit your corporation for years to come”.
Not only that. Their leaders obtain a professional District Manager Certification to advance in their future careers. Another win: when employees see that their boss is willing to invest in them and that they are valued, they will value you and the company back.
The Recipe for Multi-Unit Success
As Farhan said, it's critical that as you grow and evolve, you decide what things you're going to do yourself and what you're going to delegate. “In my opinion, most people don't grow because they're still doing a lot of things with their own hands and they're afraid to delegate.”
I agree with him. You cannot know everything about the business or handle all the responsibilities. If you hire great people, train and empower them properly so you can delegate, you will be able to grow and have time freedom to eventually take on a more strategic role in your business, just as Frahan has done.
Nowadays, this Multi-Unit Franchisee spends most of his time managing the enterprise he has built, focusing on reaching 100 units in Canada within the next 2 or 3 years, as stated in his development agreement. “I wouldn't say it's a more difficult or easier job because you can't really measure it, but it's definitely a different job profile”.
Leading an amazing team of District Managers who do a great job allows Farhan not only to continue growing his business but also to pursue other activities that are rewarding for him. To mention a few: he’s involved in three fintech companies in his home country, and participates in a children's foundation.
All, without losing focus on his commitment to Popeye's and enjoying his life. I think this is an excellent plan because, at the end of the day, people get into franchising and entrepreneurship to do great things, achieve their goals, and enjoy their lives.
If you want to learn more about the training program that has helped Farhan’s District Managers thrive, explore our LEAD Program.
We have helped over 370 District Managers better understand their roles and responsibilities, and be more effective and successful, and we would love to train your leaders as well!
We open enrollment four times a year, so you have multiple opportunities to join. Make sure to leave us your contact information below so we can notify you when the next class opens, and you don't miss out!
WATCH THIS PODCAST INTERVIEW ON VIDEO:
