Now, We Go to School: Jim Gregory on Franchising on Campus!

Franchise Today

This week we talk about non-traditional development, more specifically, on-campus opportunities for franchise development. If you’ve ever considered moving your restaurant, beverage, retail, or financial service into the higher education channel, then Jim Gregory is your guy. His mission is to help improve “on-campus” retail operations and choices for college students. His company, On Campus Brands, takes a data-centric approach to on-campus retail development. His extensive database of on-campus outlets helps target those campuses where certain brands have the greatest opportunity to succeed. His years of expertise in adapting concepts to the unique needs of the on-campus market save months, if not years, of costly trial and error, for his clients. And his connectivity to the communities of campus dining management and college auxiliary services put those brands in front of the right decision makers. Prior to founding On Campus Brands, Jim was responsible for the non-traditional channel at Steak n Shake restaurants. But his experience in non-traditional restaurant and retail services stretches all the way back to 1990. In fact, it was Jim that conceived the vision of bringing superior brand offerings to college campuses: brands that resonate with students and complement the unique cultures of their schools; brands that are committed to grow and support their operations in higher education. So, he spent a few months signing up "charter" clients, building the first on-campus retail database, and gathering a network of his favorite ops, design and construction folks. By then it was Fall Semester 2016 and time to go to school!