Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2016 | Page 38

MULTI

BRAND

BY DEBBIE SELINSKY

Brands To Believe In
Going long with Popeyes and Captain D’s

N

umbers and research notwithstanding, veteran franchisee Brian Smith
chooses his brands using his gut
instincts. “I like to go with things
I believe in and know I can sell,” says the
Arkansas family man.
That’s why it wouldn’t be surprising to
find the jovial Smith on any given day attired in his Mossy Oak camouflage attire

while he chows down on seafood at Captain D’s or chicken at Popeyes Louisiana
Kitchen in his hometown of Springdale,
Ark. Smith is an avid outdoorsman and
hunter and longtime fan of Mossy Oak
camouflage clothing, so when the company
began to market real estate specializing in
selling farm hunting land and other rural
property, he got on board in 2008.

“I didn’t even have to clean out my
closet because I’ve always worn Mossy
Oak. I had confidence in them, and I had
bought and sold farms my whole career,”
Smith recalls. “Early on, I bought a 10acre property for $6,000 and sold it for
$14,000, which enabled me to buy my
first business.” Today he has 11 Mossy Oak
Properties offices spread across Missouri,
Kansas, and Oklahoma.
He also threw in his lot with restaurant franchises Popeyes and Captain D’s
because he loves the products and believes in the brands. It’s no accident that
his first Popeyes and his first Captain D’s
were built in his hometown of Springdale,
where Smith’s neighbors are the Duggars
of reality TV fame.
In 1990, he and a friend were introduced
to franchising when they bought a Subway.
“Our franchise number was 1252—that’s
how early in the game we were with them.
There were only six in our state then, so
we scraped the money together to buy one
in Little Rock. We didn’t know how we’d
NAME: Brian Davis Smith
TITLE: CEO
COMPANY: SmitCo Eateries &

SmitCo D’s

NO. OF UNITS: 11 Popeyes
Louisiana Kitchen (2 more in
development); 1 Captain D’s (plus
1 in construction and a contract
for 48 more); 11 Mossy Oak
Properties (Missouri, Kansas,
Oklahoma)
AGE: 48
FAMILY: Wife Debra; children Bo,

20; Ashton, 15; Josie Kate, 14;
Jon Davis, 10

YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 26
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION: 26

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MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE II, 2016

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4/2/16 2:31 PM