NATALIE HANSEN
Elizabeth,CO
Summary
Accomplished, results oriented and strategic Franchise development professional with over 24 Years of franchise experience expertly building franchise development programs, in the restaurant segment. 12 Years of heavily focused franchise sales history netting over 1,500 franchise locations throughout the U.S., Canada and International. Historically, a high utility player in the industry building franchise sales processes for startup brands and offering guidance and expertise on process improvements within all facets of the development process. A natural and dynamic leader with effective communication, established trust and diverse experience.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Director of Development, Huddle House & Perkins
Ascent Hospitality Management
04.2021 - Current
- Company Overview: Ascent Hospitality operates and franchises 265 Perkins and 271 Huddle House Restaurants operating in 38 states & 2 Provinces of Canada.
- Leads franchisee sales and onboarding of both brands for traditional/non-traditional locations, including sales, approval/review of incoming franchise partners, and preparation of all franchise deal packages.
- Consistently achieves or exceeds company-defined sales quotas with 38 deals (goal 25) in 2022, 32 (goal 25) deals in 2023 and 56 (goal 30) deals in 2024; averaging 40+ franchise agreements per year.
- Signed the largest deal in Huddle House history in 2024
- Top Sales performer in the department for 2023 and 2024.
- Negotiation and successful onboarding of vendor relationship contracts skillfully, securing favorable terms for both company and client.
- Creation of franchise collateral and other marketing materials for franchisee onboarding.
- Assists with annual filing/review of Franchise Disclosure Documents and ongoing competitor research; manages compliance with Franchise Agreements and Contractual Obligations.
- Coaching of new hires on sales techniques, contributing to their development as successful team members.
- Manages annual department budget of $2M+.
Senior Director, Development
REGO Restaurant Group
12.2000 - 02.2021
- Company Overview: Rego Restaurant Group acquired Quiznos in 2018 and franchised 514 Quiznos and 66 Taco Del Mar restaurants operating across 45 states.
- Led all aspects of the development process for all restaurants within the U.S. and Canada, ensuring department goals were maintained and exceeded regarding sales, franchises renewals, transfer purchases, and openings.
- Led and developed a Design and Construction Project Manager and Business Development Manager.
- Managed and conducted full-process franchise development activities, including lead generation, trade show and marketing events, third-party locator and implementation, franchise website administration, real estate site analysis, franchise agreement package preparations and submissions, site selection, lease review, and franchisee onboarding through Discovery Days; average sales of 25 new franchise agreements per year and 35 resales per year.
- Onboarded Taco Del Mar brand into franchise sales and development process (July 2018); the body of work included onboarding 104 locations into current systems and processes, updating franchise sales forms and websites, and training internal resources on relevant procedures and changes.
- Successfully managed the project for franchisee agreement addendums to over 500 existing franchise owners in the U.S. and Canada to receive lower royalties and fees in exchange for making capital improvements on a 30-day timeline.
- Managed and identified franchise partners for non-traditional Segment RFP submittals; worked collaboratively with franchisee partners and internal teams on RFP preparation; results included a successful bid awarded on LLCC (Lincoln Land Community College) in Illinois against more than five other concepts (May 2018) and awarded bid on AAFES Army base located in Hawaii against four others major NBFF sandwich concepts (July 2017).
- Partnered with Multi-Unit franchise owners on opportunities for growth in their respective markets; results included partnering with franchisee partner in the Denver, Colorado area to grow from one location in 2016 to six in 2020 through acquisition and new site development.
- Managed the creation of FDD annual renewals, revisions, and preparation for filing in the U.S. and Canada.
- Successfully negotiated a 10-unit deal with Canadian-based Ghost Kitchens to open virtual kitchens.
- Led design and construction project management, including restaurants design elements, equipment sourcing, and vendor management.
- Cultivated a culture of innovation by promoting creative thinking and encouraging employees to take calculated risks in pursuit of solutions.
Owner/Franchisee, Quiznos
H&C, LLC
02.2011 - 11.2014
- Managed payroll, daily deposits, and cost controls.
- Set employee schedules, delegated work, and monitored food quality and service performance.
- Maintained positive relationships with local community and government officials.
- Streamlined back-of-house processes for improved kitchen efficiency, resulting in faster order preparation times without compromising quality standards.
- Oversaw successful marketing campaigns to increase restaurant exposure and awareness.
Director, Development
REGO Restaurant Group
06.2008 - 09.2014
- Led all aspects of the development process specific to buyer review/approval, franchise agreement drafting and signing, facilitating the transfer process, reopening of closed locations, and opening of all restaurants within the U.S. and Canada; reported to General Counsel.
- Assisted franchise owners with the sale of their locations to new prospective franchisees by qualifying the buyer, reviewing current store performance levels and prospective loan terms, working with landlords to have leases assigned, completing necessary vendor forms, or other documentation needed to transfer the location successfully on an expedited timeline.
- Managed preparation of over 700 franchise agreements for execution, 250-unit transfer executions, 450 new store openings, and 250 transfer possession changes.
- Managed project for the sale of 37 corporate-owned locations to new and existing franchise owners on a 45-day timeline (2012).
- Managed training and onboarding of international master franchisees in the development process.
- Provided best practices and resources for onboarding franchisees based on the U.S. operating model.
Senior Manager, Transfers
REGO Restaurant Group
02.2005 - 06.2008
- Supervised a team of five direct reports in the Development department, prospected new franchise owners for identified transfer locations in the Mid-West Region, and worked with them to ensure completion through the transfer process; reported to Senior Vice President, Development.
- Contributed to the company realizing its growth objective of reaching over 5000 units (2007).
- Created a streamlined transfer process for the company to get transfer timelines down from an average of six months to 60 days.
- Created new process training materials for the field sales team to ensure consistent process application.
- Coached current franchisee owners wishing to sell and helped them locate qualified buyers for their locations, guided sellers on managing deal terms, and transfer process.
- Disseminated and reviewed franchise agreements for all transfers and moved the prospective parties through their pre-close process.
- Won the Quiznos Way Award (June 2008) for successfully managing the transfer of over 250 locations in one quarter.
Manager, Franchise Sales
REGO Restaurant Group
12.2000 - 02.2005
- Managed process of Lead generation, application review and qualification, seminar lead attendance, and field sales team support in a rapid growth environment for the Quiznos brand; reported to Director of Development.
- Conducted Lead generation for sales team members through various external companies, including Franchise Gator, Franchise Clique, and Buy Biz Sale.
- Revamped external marketing materials to encourage better franchise sales growth.
- Managed six call center staff tasked with promoting attendance at franchise sales seminars; results included raising average seminar attendance from 30 people to over 250 (2001).
- Screening and approval of prospective franchise owners for the field sales team.
- Disseminated and reviewed franchise agreements for the field sales team; received recognition for having the most approved franchise owner applications (2002) with over 500 approved applications.
Call Center Lead
Act Teleconferencing
03.1999 - 12.2000
- Scheduling and monitoring conference calls conducted with large pharmaceutical companies, corporate organizations, and doctorate-led educational calls.
- Maintained over 300 call lines with interactive commentaries from participants.
- Ensured adherence to company policies and procedures while fostering a positive work environment that promoted teamwork collaboration among colleagues.
Construction Warehouse Product Specialist
HomeBase Warehouse
02.1997 - 03.1999
- Maintained product inventory on construction materials; product sales; large GC portfolio sales and management; customer service liaison; and procurement of specialty items.
Education
CFE Certification -
IFA Academy
12.2023
Speed of Trust
Franklin Covey
08.2015
Communicating Effectively in Difficult Situations
Franklin Covey
10.2013
Organization Leadership
Franklin Covey
08.2004
Skills
- Franchise professional
- New Store Development
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Organizational skills
- Skillful Negotiations
- Real Estate Site Selection
- Budgeting/Sales Forecasting
- Team leadership
- Multi-tasking
- FRM/FranConnect/FRM/AssureSign
Personal Information
Title: CFE
Timeline
Senior Director of Development, Huddle House & Perkins
Ascent Hospitality Management
04.2021 - Current
Owner/Franchisee, Quiznos
H&C, LLC
02.2011 - 11.2014
Director, Development
REGO Restaurant Group
06.2008 - 09.2014
Senior Manager, Transfers
REGO Restaurant Group
02.2005 - 06.2008
Senior Director, Development
REGO Restaurant Group
12.2000 - 02.2021
Manager, Franchise Sales
REGO Restaurant Group
12.2000 - 02.2005
Call Center Lead
Act Teleconferencing
03.1999 - 12.2000
Construction Warehouse Product Specialist
HomeBase Warehouse
02.1997 - 03.1999
CFE Certification -
IFA Academy
Speed of Trust
Franklin Covey
Communicating Effectively in Difficult Situations
Franklin Covey
Organization Leadership
Franklin Covey
Similar Profiles
Alicia B LavinAlicia B Lavin
General Manager at Ascent HospitalityGeneral Manager at Ascent Hospitality
Lee Ann Jeter HollowayLee Ann Jeter Holloway
Commercial Property Manager at Ascent HospitalityCommercial Property Manager at Ascent Hospitality
Julie TreeshJulie Treesh
Dual Director of Sales at Ascent HospitalityDual Director of Sales at Ascent Hospitality
KYLIE METHERDKYLIE METHERD
Pediatric Occupational Therapist at BloomKidzPediatric Occupational Therapist at BloomKidz
Gabrielle PfeiferGabrielle Pfeifer
Owner/Operator at SelfOwner/Operator at Self