It’s easy to see why iniOne would want to be a part of the iniBurger franchise revolution. Only 18 months in the making and they are already known in two locations for their ridiculously delicious, fresh, 100% halal beef burgers and other craveable offerings, and a following on Instagram you’ll drool over. And did we mention free cheesecake? Yeah, there’s a way to get that too.
Abdul Popal is the Chief Executive Officer of iniBurger, and he couldn’t be more pleased with their new franchise owners who will open the doors to the next iniBurger restaurant in nearby Santa Clara, California. They are a husband-and-wife team from Afghanistan, though the husband will act as the owner-operator.
“They are exactly the right fit,” Popal said. “He happens to be from the community, has the right acumen of consistency and quality, all the things we want to hear when we sit down and talk with people…he speaks our language.”
Popal explained how the new franchise owners were fans of the food first, frequenting the current locations a couple of times per week. When they saw the opportunity to open their own franchise, they jumped at the chance.
The new location will follow the franchise system in place, complete with the added upgrades including an online app, online ordering, 3rd party deliveries with no staff intervention, “and now self-service kiosks are on the map,” said Popal.
From the beginning, iniBurger was created to be an innovative disruptor in the QSR industry. Perhaps that is because they have a captive audience who requires a halal menu, or maybe it is because Popal comes from a startup environment that thrives on improvements.
“I love change. Every day is a new day,” he said. “I like the elements of testing and tuning inside the stores. Every time I go in, I go in with open eyes looking for things that I can improve.”
iniBurger is designed with an incredibly efficient franchise model, thorough, built in support for franchise owners, and a community-first mindset.The new franchise owners are encouraged to find a hyper-local cause to support.
“We come from the community, to serve the community,” Popal said, “which is part of the DNA of who we are as a brand, and as people.”
Current iniBurger locations participate in blood drives each quarter. For every customer who donates blood, iniBurger donates a meal. “So far that results in 30 to 40 free meals donated each time.”
Speaking of blood, Popal figures franchising is naturally in his. “I think becoming a franchisor was a natural next step for me,” he said. “I came from the startup world, building businesses to scale, then moving to the corporate side to bring other people up. So, my background lends itself well to franchising.”
We and every other iniBurger fan are glad that it does!
The Spadea Lignana team is excited to congratulate Abdul and his team at iniBurger on their first franchise sale.
“I’m glad I found Spadea Lignana,” Popal said. “They are very well structured, knowledgeable, kind of the best in breed. They do a very good job.”
Popal and his team continue to seek financially qualified business builders who are fans of the brand and fit the community-centric culture. Current available locations in California include the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. From there, they’ll be looking in Texas and Illinois.
For complete information about the iniBurger Franchise Program, visit: https://www.iniburger.com/franchising.
