What’s It Like to Be a Wendy’s International Franchisee?

Wendy’s® established itself in Puerto Rico in 1978 when Jorge Colon Sr. became our brand’s first franchisee on the island. He started Wendco of Puerto Rico, which has flourished into a successful company with 3,500 employees and dozens of Wendy’s restaurants.

His son, Jorge, is now at the helm. We sat down with him recently to talk about Wendco’s 40 years in business.

Let’s start with present day: how many restaurants do you operate and what are your shorter-term plans?

JC: We have 78 Wendy’s restaurants, one under construction and we’re looking at a couple of sites that we’ll continue to develop. The potential for Wendy’s in Puerto Rico is greater than the actual size of the island.

You sound very excited about Wendy’s of Puerto Rico’s growth potential. Why?

JC: We’re kind of opportunistic and we have an entrepreneurial spirit in our organization. Plus, we’re big, big believers in the Wendy’s brand.

Puerto Rico’s population is around 3.4 million people. If you take that number and divide it by 78, that’s around one Wendy’s restaurant per 43,000 people on the island. It’s pretty good penetration. So even though we have room to grow, the growth that we have going forward is the hardest. It’s like losing the last five or ten pounds. We have to be careful not to over-cannibalize.

Let’s go back to your beginning with Wendy’s. Where did it all start?

JC: November 1978, when my father went to Ohio to sign the franchise documents. He insisted that my mother and I went with him. I was 12 years old.

During that trip, Dave Thomas asked me if I wanted to work at Wendy’s for a day, at the booth they had at the Ohio State Fair. He got me a small-sized uniform, I rolled up my short sleeves, got my cap on, and he showed me how to wipe tables the right way. I still show my kids that.

In high school, while my friends were at the beach, I was working at the restaurant. When I was 16, I was doing fries. Every position an employee goes through, I went through.

Then I went to college and did a year in law school. I quickly learned that I didn’t want to be a lawyer, so I told my dad I wanted to work for him. He said no problem, but he had one condition: he wanted me to train with Wendy’s in the U.S.

So, he set me up with the management training program, which was a four-month program for aspiring managers. I moved to Atlanta and trained in a restaurant – did everything in the book, starting from the ground up. I got my Wendy’s uniform, got the book, started reading the procedures.

After I excelled in the management program, Wendy’s corporate wanted to hire me. I was flattered, but I wanted to come back and work for the family business in Puerto Rico. I thought Wendy’s was a fantastic brand and we were under-penetrated.

How have you been able to build on your father’s success?

JC: I took over in 1995, when I was 29 years old. I opened restaurant number 21 in Puerto Rico, so everything after that has been under my wing. I credit my father with the foundation. I build upon the shoulders of those who came before me. It’s our life’s work.

My father was a stickler for details and I’m very, very competitive. My wife would probably tell you I’m too competitive. I want to win. The way of doing it is surrounding yourself with talented individuals, compensating them well, communicating goals and sharing the passion with them. In my case, everyone who works for Wendco loves the brand – everyone.

The average tenure of our management is in excess of 13 years. Our turnover is an obscenely low number. And we have a good chunk of employees who have been with us for over 30 years.

In addition to the Ohio State Fair, what were your interactions like with Dave Thomas?

JC: They were mostly at Wendy’s conventions. My father was a good friend of his, being an early franchisee. Dave was a very simple man. Few words. Very focused on the business. But the words he always extolled were very poignant and about taking care of the customers and doing things right. He wasn’t big on philosophy. He didn’t read some latest book and tell you about it.

When we were going to open our first restaurant back in 1979, my dad had to do all the logistics. Dave came for the opening. He was staying at the El San Juan Hotel – the nicest in Puerto Rico. My father had a driver to make sure Dave got picked up at the hotel. He asked that I accompany the driver and I said yes.

Looking back, I don’t think there are many 13-year-old kids that would accept that chore. And I think it’s a small nugget, but it tells you a little bit about who I am. Accepting these challenges, even in early life, is the hallmark of who I am.

Finally, Wendco has been extremely generous in the aftermaths of recent hurricanes that have struck your region. How have you contributed to recovery efforts?

JC: After Hurricane Dorian this summer, we sent a 40-foot container of Wendy’s chicken nuggets and buns to the Bahamas. We also decided to donate part of the proceeds from certain menu items to charity.

Right after Hurricane Maria in 2017, we collected more than $225,000 and gave it to farmers so they could rebuild their farming businesses. We did this in consortium with the agricultural arm of the government and University of Puerto Rico. We’ve also moved chicken nuggets and chicken sandwich production to one of the facilities that was impacted.

We need to align ourselves with the producers of the food of the land. By doing so, we’re also aligning Wendy’s with what’s fresh.