Lael Bland

As a successful restaurant owner-operator with over two decades of experience, I am looking to take on my next business venture; acquiring a multi-unit Quick Service Restaurant group. Currently, in California there are opportunities to buy QSRs at a significantly lower multiple than normal, due to disruption in the industry. The new $20/hour minimum wage and general economic environment have caused owners to put their restaurants up for sale. I am specifically targeting restaurants with (1) high brand equity/customer loyalty and (2) EBITDA between $1 and $3 million.

For my next business venture, I’m seeking partners who are eager to achieve superior returns on their investment. Whether you have capital to invest or restaurants to sell, let’s connect for a chat.

Schedule a call with me or email me and mention that you’re responding to my website.

My professional evolutional journey has led me from an engineering student at UC Santa Barbara to a successful entrepreneur in the restaurant industry. During my second year of engineering studies, I made a pivotal shift in mindset and study habits, leading to consistent academic excellence that would continue throughout my graduate studies and beyond. After earning an undergraduate degree in mechancal engineering, I embarked on a diverse career path, eventually transitioning from engineering to entrepreneurship. This transistion began with an interest in real estate investing as a method of wealth building.  My real estate investing then led me to the pursuit of an MBA degree as a means to increase my business acumen.

Upon earning an MBA with a focus on entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California, I navigated the corporate landscape, gaining valuable experience at Southern California Edison’s Treasurer’s Department. However, it was my entry into Denny’s franchise development program that marked the most significant turning point. Despite the high failure rate within the program, my perseverance paid off as I acquired and successfully managed multiple Denny’s franchises in Southern California.

As a result of Denny’s development program and running my own restaurants, I acquired an expertise in restaurant turnarounds, developing a strategic approach to addressing staffing issues and facility renovations to drive sales growth and improve customer satisfaction.

Looking forward, my goal is to expand my business portfolio by acquiring a group of restaurants. I plan on achieving this through strategic partnerships, commitment to growth, resilience and adaptability; ensuring my future success in the restaurant industry.

Click here to learn more about my journey.

The franchise development program I entered into consisted of: (1) being trained as a restaurant manager, then (2) running company restaurants until Denny’s Inc offered me a corporate restaurant to purchase. 

My first GM assignment was a restaurant with above-average sales that suffered from service issues and high complaints. I found that the restaurant suffered from staffing problems.  Putting the proper staffing in place we were able to increase sales by double digits and cut complaints in half.

In the next restaurant that I was assigned to, we did a complete management overhaul.  I was then bounced around from restaurant to restaurant for short periods, filling in as needed. 

In my final assignment, I was again brought in to clean house.  In this restaurant we turned over both management and staff.  The employees suffered from a lack of discipline and service standards.  Over time we ended up replacing all the management and approximately half the staff. 

At this time Denny’s was part of a large food company formed by a series of leveraged buyouts.  Strapped for cash Denny’s hadn’t invested in the facilities for quite some time.  They were struggling to decide what to do with many aging, underperforming restaurants with expiring leases.  They would use the minority development program I was in, to get rid of some of these ageing underperforming restaurants. When Denny’s Inc finally offered to sell me a restaurant that I felt had some upside, I initially thought that my challenges would be employee issues.  To my surprise, it was clear that the problem was not the employees but rather just that the restaurant was plagued by deteriorating facilities.  With a limited budget and a lot of creativity, I remodeled the store despite Denny’s Inc lack of remodeling criteria.  I also removed the unused bar and created a private meeting room.  Soon sales were up double digits.  Not only did the customers appreciate the upgraded facilities but the morale of the employees increased, providing even better service.  As a result of my success, Denny’s Inc offered me the opportunity to buy the closest restaurant to me, with significantly higher sales.

In my next venture, I’m seeking Preferred Equity Partners interested in making investments ranging from $100,000 to $2,000,000. Your investment will unlock exciting opportunities to maximize returns.

With a focus on profitability and a proven track record of operational success, I’m confident that careful analysis of the best opportunities will lead to success.

Schedule a call with me or email me and mention that you’re responding to my website.