In this episode, Katherine LeBlanc sits down with Madelaine Reis, Head of Marketing at Biscuit Belly, to unpack what a repeatable grand opening playbook looks like in practice. Biscuit Belly's last two openings both crossed $50,000 in revenue in week one — and Madelaine built their entire program from a blank PowerPoint starting at store number four.
They talk through the full funnel: PR, paid media, influencers, food drops, friends-and-family events, and loyalty program onboarding. They cover how to sequence it all when your opening date keeps moving, why you should never open cold, and what it costs franchisors when ops waits too long to loop in marketing.
Whether you're opening your next location or building a grand opening program for the first time, this episode gives you a real-world look at what actually moves the needle.
Find Dear Frannie on YouTube @KatherineLeBlanc_Franchise and connect with Katherine at linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc.
What is Dear Frannie: Franchise Growth, Leadership and Scaling Advice?
Dear Frannie is the franchise advice column you didn't know you needed. Hosted by Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO, and James Vitrano, Franchise Operator, each episode tackles one real question franchisors are quietly wrestling with - from franchisee adoption and growth friction to leadership blind spots and operational scale.
No panels. No keynote speak. No fluff. Just two people who've been inside franchise systems answering the questions brand leaders are afraid to ask out loud.
If you're a franchisor navigating the messy middle of scale - this show was made for you.
New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.