Rory Smith started out as a cook for Shoney's® in Charleston, WV at the age of 14/15 (lied about his age to get the job) in 1970. Since then held other positions at Shoney’s before choosing to become a franchisee; ‘ I worked for Shoney's® Corp till 1995 and held multiple positions with the Company in operations and Support Services. Retired/left the company as Senior Vice President. I starting buying or operating under a management agreement with Shoney's® franchises around 1996. I became a franchisee in 1998”.

Franchisee Name: Dr. Rory S. Smith, MA, Ed.D.
Franchise Name: Shoney’s®
Locations: West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky

Rory chose Shoney's® because he believed in the brand and it's a company that he loved. “I grew up in the system and one of my job responsibilities in my role as SVP Shoney's® Franchise Operations/Development. I always had a strong Shoney's® Corp team that helped me with all aspects of running my business/Shoney's® Franchise. Like today, Shoney’s® provides lots of support”.

“There are so many challenges in running today's business. Fortunately, a good Franchisor like Shoney's®, helps with many of these problems and provides support”.

“Everything that I have is because of Shoney's® and hard work. Shoney's® has always given me a wonderful opportunity to provide for my family, both when I was in the corporate world and now that I am a franchisee”.

His advice to new franchisees is: “Do your research/due diligence, talk to everyone you can, then decide quickly whether you are "in or out." If you are in, then the old Shoney's® saying is so true even today:
"Show up, make a difference, make your presence felt and satisfy your customers.”

In Rory’s opinion ROI is not just related to money...it's also on time. “If you don't "work your store", and give back to the community... then you will fail. Success can be obtained by taking care of business”.

“If you purchase an under-performing store, a lot of factors come into play in making it "positive cash flow". Success can be yours if you make sure you know the market, work the market, invest into your "assets" (remodel etc.,) and your people and then teach quality operations. But, in the end ...it is showing up every day to make it and keep it successful. The success can be double and even triple your sales or even more if you do it right...but the key again, especially, after the remodel, is keep your operations right to please the customer”.

Rory shows up every day and believes; “it's all about showing up and working hard to please your customers. The rewards will come if you work hard to understand and implement quality operations, proper store staffing and keep your standards high”. As Mr. Danner would say..."Think like a Customer and act like an Entrepreneur"...

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