A barbecue restaurant in Elk Grove is looking to expand its business with a franchise system.
MacQue's BBQ International Inc., which announced plans to franchise last week, will be charging franchisees an initial fee of $37,500 for one location. The initial investment may vary from $227,000 to $530,500, "depending on various factors such as restaurant lease, location, equipment selection and other startup overhead expenses," Elk Grove-based MacQue's says on its website.
Michael and Nicole Thomas, the married couple who run the business, filed for a franchise restaurant license with the state of California right before the pandemic in 2020. Michael Thomas, who serves as CEO for MacQue's BBQ, said building a franchise system is a way to scale the company across the U.S.
"How do we grow from here?" he said, adding that franchises are a way of scaling faster than building and operating their own restaurants. Thomas also said it provides opportunities for other entrepreneurs to start their own business. So far, people based in places including Florida, Arizona and in the Sacramento area have shown interest in building franchises of MacQue's BBQ, he said.
Thomas said that MacQue's has created a streamlined system under which franchisees won't need to be barbecue pitmasters.
"You don't have to be a pitmaster to be successful. You just follow the franchise system and the experience that we've had for over 30-plus years and you'll be successful," he said.
MacQue's BBQ has been a family-owned business since Thomas' parents opened in Sacramento in 1986, and it has been involved in community outreach in churches and disadvantaged communities, he said. Even though the restaurant started in Sacramento, its main location is currently in Elk Grove. The original Sacramento location is temporarily closed due to Covid-19. MacQue's received $87,000 in Paycheck Protection Program funds in April 2020 and $133,000 in March 2021.
The business is Black- and veteran-owned as Michael Thomas' father, Mack Thomas, served in the Marine Corps. Michael Thomas said he wants the culture of outreach and activism to carry on in MacQue's BBQ's franchises.
"We're looking for those that embody what we're talking about," he said. "It's part of our history and it feels so natural for us."