Cash In or Stay: A Franchisee’s Dilemma

This case exposes students to franchising and the pros and cons of becoming a franchisee entrepreneur. The context of the case is a franchise in the casual dining industry segment (a hybrid between fast food and fine dining). A couple has opened two franchisee stores of the Trio Burger chain. The case covers their story, how they ultimately decided to acquire their own Trio Burger franchise, the pains they faced in opening their first store, and finally, challenges for opening their second store. The case then transitions to the decision they would later face – to sell the two stores they had developed to an interested party or to continue operating them and open more stores down the road.