MILL CREEK — The Blazing Onion Burger Co. opened in 2007 to a symphony of missteps.
It opened in a construction zone — what’s now the Mill Creek Town Center. There wasn’t enough storage or freezer space. The cooks couldn’t keep up with demand. There was smoke in the dining room on more than one occasion, and the water heater didn’t work fast enough.
“We discovered ideas look great on paper,” co-owner David Jones said. “We just made a lot of mistakes.”
The second opening, a larger restaurant in Snohomish, went more smoothly — though the newly-added bar area turned out to be too small.
The Gig Harbor location proved the third time really can be charmed.
Jones is hoping the next 100 openings go just as smoothly.
After three years in business and three locations around the Puget Sound region, the Mill Creek-based burger chain is franchising.
The move happened a lot sooner than planned by Jones and his business partner, his wife Lorri.
But so did the expansion, Jones said.
The idea for the restaurant, a casual burger joint that offers a sit-down dining experience, was a lot slower to materialize.
Jones, who owns several Subway franchises around the Puget Sound region, started talking about opening a restaurant around the same time he and Lorri were married.
In October, that will be 26 years ago.
The ideas ranged from extravagant to realistic. ”I’m quite a dreamer,” Jones admitted.
He finally settled on burgers, just as a wave of gourmet burger restaurants took off across the country.
Jones jokes that they’re all copying him.
Now, his days are filled with more than just managing the three restaurant branches. He’s filing paperwork in 49 other states and Canada, paving the way for franchise buyers. He’s writing a franchisee manual, preparing to train new owners and reading as many books on successful business management.
Jones is working with Tulsa, Okla.,-based Beautiful Brands International on the franchising plan. The company acts as a matchmaker, finding prospective buyers and helping locate appropriate locations for restaurants.
But the final say belongs to the Joneses.
“We have the final say on it, because it’s still our company,” he said.
Eventually, he’d like to manage between 10 and 15 stores in Washington.
But through growth has happened quickly for Blazing Onion, Jones said he’s not pushing to sell franchise locations quickly. He wants to find the right buyers and preserve the company’s reputation.
“Halfway isn’t enough, he said. “It’s not about getting that big paycheck every time you sign someone. It’s not about getting it right away.”
The Blazing Onion Burger Co. has three locations: Mill Creek, Snohomish and Gig Harbor. For addresses and a menu, go to www.blazing onion.com.
Read Amy Rolph’s small-business blog at www.heraldnet.com/TheStorefront. Contact her at 425-339-3029 or arolph@heraldnet.com.
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