Even though he’s operated just one Scooter’s Coffee for a handful of years, Kris Daniels has fallen in love with the franchise model.
Inspired to build his franchise portfolio, Daniels signed a deal with Pokeworks to open a trio of restaurants in the Minneapolis market. Inking the agreement with his wife and business partner Louise, Daniels said the decision to franchise with the Hawaiian fast-casual concept was to increase healthy options in their area.
“We wanted to get into something more health forward from a food standpoint and we know the Twin Cities area has room for more,” Daniels said. “We also already enjoyed poke cuisine and when we started researching what was available in the segment, Pokeworks stood out.”
Kris Daniels is a new Pokeworks franchisee in Minnesota.
For Pokeworks, it’s the first multi-unit deal in Minnesota, but the brand isn’t new to the Midwest.
“Our strategy is really to develop the regions and the markets we’re in,” said Maria Frazelle, Pokeworks director of franchise development. “We have units now in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan, so we’re filling out those markets and those nearby. I know there’s a growing and thriving food scene in the Twin Cities, too, and people are looking for innovative restaurants and diverse culinary options, so we fit the market.”
Daniels and his wife became franchisees in 2022 when they opened their Scooter’s Coffee location. For Daniels, it followed a software career in the automotive industry where he was also involved with sales and consulting. Wanting to get into business ownership, Daniels later pivoted to becoming a personal planner and financial adviser.
Related: First Pokeworks Employee Becomes Latest Franchisee
After about five years, though, Daniels was ready to move on and opted for the franchise route. With his latest venture, he said the initial investment, which ranges from $308,000 to $602,000, was a major selling point, as were testimonials from other owners.
“It’s conducive to how we wanted to be able to scale with the brand,” Daniels said. “We also talked with a lot of people. Not just the Pokeworks company, but eight or nine franchisees. The level of good feedback and love toward what they were doing, in all kinds of places, was all good and consistent.”
He added that brand leadership showed a commitment to quality and culture that mirrored his own. Pokeworks in 2023 underwent some executive changes as its CEO left the brand and the co-founders took more active roles.
Pokeworks offers build-your-own Hawaiian-inspired poke bowls, burritos and salads with a choice of tuna, salmon, chicken, shrimp, scallops and tofu.
“After meeting the owners and the team, and just hearing about how conscious they are about helping at the store level operations and leverage technology, I saw they had the right core values,” Daniels said. “They call it ‘spreading aloha,’ and it aligns with how we want to operate and build a culture with our own team.”
For Pokeworks, the sentiment was similar.
“The Danielses have a passion for the food and for poke, which also plays into creating a good franchise relationship,” Frazelle said. “They bring the right values in their positivity and practice making them a good fit. Business acumen is always a plus, but it goes back to those values because this is a 10-year relationship.”
Daniels said for the immediate future, three was a comfortable number to start with. However, once brand awareness is established in the market, the hope is to multiply, which is doable thanks to development costs and operational efficiency.
“I was able to get behind the counter at a couple different stores and talk with franchise owners,” Daniels said. “The labor is very attractive because it’s not super intricate to build a poke bowl, and we don’t need a hood or a grease equipment.”
Founded in 2015, Pokeworks has more than 70 locations across 21 states.