Event FinderFrom Frat House To Franchising (Seminar)
- Starts
- Ends
- Format
- In person
- Location
- UF Innovate | The Hub, 747 SW Second Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32607, 747 Southwest 2nd Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601
About This Event
During this event, Matt will share the challenges, setbacks, and lessons from his journey, offering an inside look at what it took to grow WING ZONE from a two-man operation into a global franchise system. His story began in 1992, when Matt Friedman was a college student operating an illicit "ghost kitchen" out of his fraternity house at the University of Florida. He didn't have a business plan, investors, or even a license to operate, just a passion for authentic buffalo wings and a refusal to accept "no" for an answer. What began as a rogue delivery experiment evolved into an international powerhouse with over 140 locations across the U.S. and six countries. Interested in reading the book before the event? Find it here! (https://www.amazon.com/Frat-House-Franchising-WING-Story-ebook/dp/B0H31JF549/)About our speaker:Matt Friedman Matt Friedman founded Wing Zone in his fraternity house kitchen in 1992 with a $500 investment. In 1993, Wing Zone opened its first storefront, just steps from the University of Florida campus. Upon graduating, Matt and his partner successfully opened six additional Wing Zone restaurants in major college markets from 1995–2000. As the visionary of Wing Zone and building a global brand, Matt launched the Wing Zone Franchise System in 2001. As CEO of Wing Zone, Matt led a talented team to successfully open over 140 Wing Zone restaurants throughout the U.S. and six countries. In late 2020, Matt and his partner sold a majority interest in Wing Zone. Starting in 2021, Matt has served as the managing partner at Friedman Consulting, a franchise incubator that helps support and scale emerging franchisors and provides strategic planning for entrepreneurs. Their Platform Support Services includes Franchise Recruitment, Branding, Marketing, Real Estate and Construction, Operations, and IT Business intelligence.———————This event is worth 15 Hub House points so don't miss your chance to help your team climb the leaderboard. Select your Hub House when registering and rack up the points. If you're not in a Hub House or not an Accelerate client, select "Unknown."———————UF Innovate | Accelerate UF Innovate | Accelerate is the University of Florida's entrepreneurship support program that includes Sid Martin Biotech, the globally recognized biotechnology incubator located in Progress Park in Alachua, Florida, and The Hub, the globally recognized diversified tech incubator located in Gainesville's Innovation District.