Danny Lehan, pictured left with husband CJ Lehan, has been a part of Village Inn since he was a teenager and will soon open his ninth location in Florida.
Danny Lehan has been a part of Village Inn since he was 15. First a busboy, then a dishwasher, server and eventual manager, he’s worked nearly every role in the restaurant. Now more than 30 years later, he’s a franchisee preparing to opening his ninth location in Florida as he remains committed to a brand that captivated him from the start.
“It’s been my first and only job and I just fell in love with the brand and fell in love with, basically, taking care of people,” said Lehan. “I love people, so it was a dream of mine to own that restaurant and that dream became a reality.”
Founded in 1958, Village Inn became known for its breakfast and comfort food staples. Acquired by Minnesota-based BBQ Holdings in 2021, it joined Famous Dave’s and Granite City under an umbrella that now also includes Champps, Barrio Queen, Craft Republic and others. Village Inn continues to serve breakfast and lunch options, and the company is exploring dual-concept models that combine BBQ’s other brands.
Lehan’s journey with Village Inn began at his hometown location in Largo, Florida, where he moved up the ranks and managed several locations. In 2010, Lehan got word the franchisees of the Largo unit were not going to renew their lease. He said he knew right away he wanted to become a franchisee.
“I called them every single week for a year and begged them to let me reopen as a franchise partner for Village Inn at that location,” he said.
After 11 months of weekly calls, Lehan signed a new lease and officially became a franchisee in 2011 with help from his father, who provided $250,000 for the business. He also got $80,000 in tenant improvement funding from the landlord to refurbish the restaurant.
While Lehan worked in many of the roles he was now hiring for, becoming a business owner was a big change. “It’s much different when you don’t have a gigantic corporate backing you,” he said. “Learning cash flow, learning how to manage money, learning just the nuances of dealing with the state of Florida, sales tax things like that.”
Lehan put his head down and learned quickly. He opened his second restaurant, a new build, in 2015, and since then has grown his unit count through a combination of acquisitions and new development. He said part of his strategy going forward is to find conversion opportunities, identifying mom-and-pop restaurants with owners looking to exit.
“Some of the community, we have a very aged community, and the kids don’t want anything to do with the business,” said Lehan, which has meant more opportunity to find second-generation spaces.
His confidence to buy into the brand more than 12 years ago and continue growing comes from his deep knowledge of all things Village Inn. Familiar with the customer base and operations, becoming a franchisee wasn’t as intimidating to Lehan, who said he knew the community loved the brand as much as he did.
“It’s kind of like the community’s living room,” he said. “It’s where you go to make your business deals, where you go to gather with family.”
Nothing solidified his belief in the community more than the pandemic. Lehan was in regular contact with friends he’d made who were asking how they could help their local Village Inn stay in business during shutdowns, such as by ordering takeout.
He also credited his approach to building a stellar team, and to Village Inn’s support and solid system.
“Because the brand has such a strong operating system, you have to continuously have perfect practice of it,” said Lehan. “What it allows you to do is teach and build a team regardless if it’s one restaurant or now eight restaurants.”
A never-give-up attitude is also important. No matter the challenges that came his way, he “bulldozed” right through them, he said. Whether that was learning the ropes of the business or jumping into different roles, he persevered—and it’s paid off. The average unit volume for Lehan’s restaurants is $2.1 million; the system average is $1.8 million.
“It comes down to continuing to stay strong and chasing your dreams,” said Lehan. “It’s been the biggest opportunity of my life and every time we open a new location my emotions are on high gear, whether it be fear or excited.”