Franchise Times Magazine

06/11/2026

In the decade since Tapville Social was founded, CEO Joseph Tota has watched the craft beer boom level off and the culture around social drinking change.

Through it all, the brand has managed to expand, increasing from 20 locations in 2022 to 43 today after franchising began in 2019. The brand, launched in 2016, uses a technology-driven self-pour system, allowing customers to efficiently pay for their drinks.

To find and maintain success, though, Tota said Tapville needed to rely on more than just the beer flowing.

“Guests are looking for more experiences right now to drive their dining behaviors,” Tota said. “So, we do a lot of social events. We have trivia nights at our locations and we also do a flight program with unique drink options. We have several private business events as well, which can sometimes be difficult to split tabs with 100 people, but because of our self-pour technology, it makes those easier.”

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As consumer trends around alcohol evolve, brands linked closely with boozy offerings are having to go beyond their beverage programs to entice customers. For many franchises, the strategy revolves around

06/11/2026

Take a closer look at experiential franchises Larks Entertainment, The Flower Garage, Cork & Candles, and iSmash.

1. Altitude Trampoline Park’s co-founder and former CEO Curt Skallerup launched Larks Entertainment in 2023. Along with shuffleboard, Larks expanded to include arcade games, obstacle courses, mini golf and tech-infused basketball and baseball games.

2. Dani Christakos fittingly founded The Flower Garage out of her garage and kitchen in 2017 as she sought “something that would create a little joy in my life” after her kids left for college. The Flower Garage offers floral workshops and bouquet-making services for date nights, private groups, bridal showers, weddings and events.

3. CEO Dave Straub co-founded the candle-crafting concept with his son, Kenny, around 2021 in Pennsylvania. During a 90-minute signature experience, customers peruse a library of 45 scents and choose their fragrances and ratios before creating the candle and taking it home.

4. Steven Shortino founded rage room franchise iSmash in New York in 2018, but traces its inspiration to his childhood, when he and friends would look for “an actual location-based entertainment facility.” While iSmash is known for its rage rooms, the concept features ax throwing and black-light splatter painting as well.

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Take a closer look at experiential franchises Larks Entertainment, The Flower Garage, Cork & Candles, and iSmash.

06/10/2026

ISI Elite Training CEO and founder Adam Rice said the brand he leads hasn’t grown in recent years as fast as once forecasted.

But the results still show a respectable pace. Founded in 2013 and franchising since 2019, ISI Elite Training reached 18 locations in mid-2022. Today, the brand has 55 and is continuing to scale. It’s one of several young fitness franchises that not only sold units, but has been opening them.

Pvolve, a low-impact fitness concept launched in 2017, began franchising in early 2021 and by mid-2022 had three units. It’s now at 38. Discover Strength, meanwhile, was established 20 years ago but didn’t launch a franchise program until early 2023. That year there were eight studios, while today it has nearly 40.

Fly Dance Fitness, founded in 2014 and franchising since 2023, had just one studio in 2025; today it has 10. The common denominator for all of the brands has been careful selection of franchisees and strong unit economics.

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Growth could come much quicker for ISI Elite, Pvolve, Discover Strength and Fly Dance. But the leaders of these emerging fitness brands are working first to prioritize and strengthen the

06/10/2026

I Heart Mac & Cheese can no longer sell franchises in Indiana, according to Indiana’s Secretary of State.

The Indiana Securities Division filed a complaint against IHMAC's parent company and its executive officers in 2024, claiming the franchisor sold a fraudulent business model. According to the state, IHMAC sold 16 franchises to at least seven operators—all of which closed or didn’t open in the first place.

I Heart Mac & Cheese is a customizable pasta concept with just six locations left after a peak of about 80.

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I Heart Mac & Cheese is a customizable pasta concept with just six locations left after a peak of about 80. Indiana concluded in a court decision last month that

06/09/2026

For a soccer-centric brand, the upcoming World Cup in North America isn’t quite a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity since the United States hosted in 1994. But it’s pretty close, and the brand Toca Social is treating it as such.

The company, which offers virtual soccer games along with food and beverage services, just opened its first location in the United States, with more development planned with a mix of company-owned and franchised locations.

The concept is the latest brand from Toca Football, also the parent company of Toca Soccer, an indoor soccer training center company with 40 locations. The brand incorporates technology for the training, and Toca Social President Alex Harman wanted to take a similar approach with an interactive, experience-based business.

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Toca Social, a soccer entertainment franchise, recently opened in Dallas—its first location in the United States—while also establishing its first franchise unit in Mexico. Both locations are open to customers

06/09/2026

After nearly 17 years with hair salon concept Bishops Cuts/Color, franchisee Kitty Foote has picked up a few pointers on how to succeed in the beauty segment and in franchising at large.

Foote became the first Bishops franchisee after opening a unit at the end of 2009 in Raleigh Hills, a neighborhood southwest of Portland, Oregon. Her background was in transportation sales before becoming a realtor (though timing proved unlucky with her career change taking place just before 2008).

“It’s a pretty cool brand, and it’s such a Portland brand,” she said. “Being in the Portland market, knowing what the brand was and knowing Leo, it just felt like a no-brainer. Even in the hair industry, a lot of the other brands aren’t as interesting as Bishops is.”

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After nearly 17 years with hair salon concept Bishops Cuts/Color, franchisee Kitty Foote has picked up a few pointers on how to succeed in the beauty segment and in franchising

06/08/2026

June/July 2026 cover

06/08/2026

When Vineeta Bhandari decided to open her first preschool in 2003, one question came to mind: What is the crux of life for successful people?

“The first thing that came to my mind was confidence,” Bhandari said. “I feel like if an individual has the confidence, they can achieve anything.”

Bhandari grew up participating in performing arts at her school and, after seeing the impact on her own children, she created Building Kidz School with a heavy focus on the arts. The company primarily serves children ages 2 through 6 but allows franchisees to offer additional infant and toddler care and afterschool programs for older children.

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Building Kidz School, an early childhood education and care concept, has prided itself on holistic curriculum for toddlers and young children for more than 20 years. Ten years into the

06/08/2026

Before he ever thought about operating restaurants, William Ellis and his wife Maryjane were fans of Firehouse Subs.

“When I started exploring franchise ownership and researching different brands, she was actually the one encouraging me to seriously consider Firehouse,” he said in written comments.

They like the food, the company’s growth trajectory and the focus on putting safety equipment in the hands of local first responders.

His desire to explore opportunities outside of the corporate world and the couple’s shared interest in the brand led Ellis Franchising Group to sign an agreement to open six stores in the San Antonio metropolitan area.

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William Ellis is moving away from the corporate world to resume working as an entrepreneur. After examining many QSR brands, Ellis decided his affinity for Firehouse Subs’ sandwiches and its

06/07/2026

Fitness business valuations are stable, industry experts say, despite being down since the post-pandemic highs that reignited the category as a whole.

“Buyers are generally more discerning than they were … and buyers are digging in more on issues like the integration of the business, the growth rights of the business, the management team to where there’s more of a spread between those C, B and A assets than there were before,” said Jake Rubenstein, vice president at Eagle Merchant Partners. “But the A assets and the B assets are generally probably trading at the same level.”

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Investors look for white space—whether that’s the ability to grow through acquisitions or de novo growth—when considering valuations for prospective transactions.