Marketing paper
The nature of consumer attitudes
Raechel Johns, University of Canberra
Zambrero Fresh Mex Grill is the creation of Dr Sam Prince, a young medical doctor who had also worked as a chef in Melbourne while studying at university. Enthused about healthy Mexican cuisine and inspire by the American Tex Mex trend, he started to concoct his own recipes, eventually opening the first Zambrero outlet in Canberra in 2006. Using $13 000 of his saving to invest in the business when he was just 22 years old, and with bright green signage, Zambrero set out to grab attention – and it seems to be working! Now operating as franchise, Zambrero is growing across Australia. In 2011, Zambrero was named by BRW as Australia’s Fastest Growing Franchise, and in 2013 it ranked third on BRW’s Fast Franchise List.
Eighteen months after the first store opened, Dr Prince sold his first franchise. Three year after that, Stuart Cook became the Chief Executive Officer. Cook explained: ‘I met Sam at the back of a bus on the way to the Taj Mahal in November 2008.’ (www.franchise.net.au) According to the website Franchising, the two became friends and Stuart started working with Sam’s not-for-profit organisation providing the infrastructure and opportunity for disadvantaged people to empower themselves through education. Six months later, the 23-year-old Stuart Cook became the CEO of Zambrero, with no retail or franchise experience. They learnt through gathering experience on the job and building relationships with other CEOs.
Cook believes the youth of the management team has assisted them in their growth and in obtaining advice. The duo would email CEOs of companies asking for advice and found that many were happy to assist by having a coffee of a meeting. Positioned in the ‘Quick Service Restaurant’ category, Zambrero is somewhere between casual dining and fast food.
Prince and Cook have made their franchise model as simple as possible to reduce both the training required and
Raechel Johns, University of Canberra
Zambrero Fresh Mex Grill is the creation of Dr Sam Prince, a young medical doctor who had also worked as a chef in Melbourne while studying at university. Enthused about healthy Mexican cuisine and inspire by the American Tex Mex trend, he started to concoct his own recipes, eventually opening the first Zambrero outlet in Canberra in 2006. Using $13 000 of his saving to invest in the business when he was just 22 years old, and with bright green signage, Zambrero set out to grab attention – and it seems to be working! Now operating as franchise, Zambrero is growing across Australia. In 2011, Zambrero was named by BRW as Australia’s Fastest Growing Franchise, and in 2013 it ranked third on BRW’s Fast Franchise List.
Eighteen months after the first store opened, Dr Prince sold his first franchise. Three year after that, Stuart Cook became the Chief Executive Officer. Cook explained: ‘I met Sam at the back of a bus on the way to the Taj Mahal in November 2008.’ (www.franchise.net.au) According to the website Franchising, the two became friends and Stuart started working with Sam’s not-for-profit organisation providing the infrastructure and opportunity for disadvantaged people to empower themselves through education. Six months later, the 23-year-old Stuart Cook became the CEO of Zambrero, with no retail or franchise experience. They learnt through gathering experience on the job and building relationships with other CEOs.
Cook believes the youth of the management team has assisted them in their growth and in obtaining advice. The duo would email CEOs of companies asking for advice and found that many were happy to assist by having a coffee of a meeting. Positioned in the ‘Quick Service Restaurant’ category, Zambrero is somewhere between casual dining and fast food.
Prince and Cook have made their franchise model as simple as possible to reduce both the training required and