A One-Brand Kind of Guy

When we talk about loyalty, we usually think of customers. But this franchisee has operated various restaurant brands and seen the benefits of sticking with a single franchisor.

- By Chloe Arrojado

Shawn Shariff’s journey is like a page out of the American Dream playbook. He immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan in the ’80s, and at age 18 he got a minimum wage job at KFC. He worked there for four years before making his way into the insurance industry. Then, in 2002, Shariff was presented with the full-circle opportunity to operate a KFC of his own. And he has only grown from there.

Many franchisees come to own units of multiple brands, but Shariff decided to expand exclusively inside his corporate parent. KFC is owned by Yum! Brands, which also owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill. Shariff became the first franchisee to own each one of them in Southern California and now operates five locations throughout the region. He says he has had plenty of opportunities to expand beyond Yum! but has stayed loyal because the parent company always extended him generosity in hard times—and Shariff has been able to pass that along to his employees.