The growing salon franchise continues to attract multi-unit foodservice operators who are looking to diversify.
Sola Salon Studios recently announced the signing of a multi-unit franchise agreement with distinguished foodservice operator and franchising industry veteran, Mitch Choen. As part of the agreement, Cohen, along with business partners Marvin Goldfarb, Al Goldstein and Seth Goldstein of SAMM Property MGMT, will develop six units over the next five years across Nassau and Queens counties in New York, with the first projected to open before the end of this year.
These additional studios will add to Sola’s current portfolio of 500-plus locations operating across the U.S., Canada, and Brazil.
Cohen is the newest foodservice franchisee to diversify with Sola, joining 15 other franchisee groups that also currently operate leading restaurant brands such as Panera Bread, Tim Hortons, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut.
“The trend of restaurant operators investing in Sola is a relatively recent development within our brand and has been completely organic. We’ve found that restaurant operators are attracted to the simplicity of Sola’s model when compared to the complexities of today’s foodservice landscape,” said Christina Russell, CEO of Sola Salon Studios. “When you consider factors like the ease of Sola’s day-to-day operations, turnkey real estate model and low labor cost, it’s a no-brainer.”
Cohen has more than 37 years of franchise industry experience, operating foodservice concepts like Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin’, and Nathan’s Famous. His agreement with Sola marks his first foray into the salon space.
“As the foodservice segment became increasingly crowded over the past several years, my business partners and I began looking into non-food-based businesses where we could diversify our portfolio and gain more market share in our territories – that’s when we discovered the salon space,” said Cohen. “We happened to be neighbors with Sola in a few centers where we operate our restaurants, so we saw the brand’s potential firsthand and knew it was something we wanted to be a part of immediately. One of our greatest passions working in the franchising industry has been empowering and helping aspiring business owners to fulfill their dreams of being in their own business for themselves, but not by themselves, and we loved that we could do that all under one roof with Sola.”
Sola currently leads the largest segment within the $88bn salon services market, and the franchise has more than doubled in size in the last five years. Each Sola location contains 20-40 boutique, move-in-ready salon suites where hairstylists, estheticians, nail technicians, and massage therapists can operate their own businesses without the risk and hassle of traditional salon ownership. Sola Salon Studios has created a turnkey model for beauty professionals to explore a fulfilling life as an entrepreneur.
