Famous Toastery, the 25-plus unit better breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise, has announced the addition of Ann Eley to its executive team as Director of Training. Eley will be instrumental in training both incoming and existing franchise owners as the brand moves closer to reaching 50 units by 2024.
And Eley is certainly no stranger to the Famous Toastery brand. She spent five years on the team earlier in her career, starting as a server and working her way up to a Training Manager. In that position, Eley helped open 26 units, created a training team, offered franchisee support and documented all trainer procedures
“I really grew up at Famous Toastery,” says Eley. “When I worked as a server at the Davidson restaurant, the brand only had three locations at that time. They started opening more stores, and I asked if I could be part of the team. The rest is history.”
Before her first stint with Famous Toastery, Eley attended culinary school with a life-long goal of becoming a chef. “I knew in my heart that I wanted to be in food service,” she says. “I worked in and out of restaurants and learned everything I could about the industry. After I left Famous Toastery in 2017, I started managing a gym for two years before the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down. From there, I started working full-time at a golf course and did meal prep on the side to donate to struggling families.”
Over the years, Eley says, she kept in touch with her original Famous Toastery family. When she was contacted about an opportunity to come back as the new Director of Training earlier this year, she jumped at the chance.
“Famous Toastery was always my favorite job,” says Eley. “Three important factors make the brand stand out: quality, standards and family. The quality of the menu is unmatched, their high standards match my standards, and the team is already my family. You don’t find that in many places, all three of those things together. Being back feels like home — I bleed maple syrup!”
In her new role as Director of Training, Eley says she will focus on ensuring all franchisees and staff get the most out of the training procedures, emphasizing a company-wide initiative to encourage franchisees to “Be Famous” in the communities they serve.
“We are in the people business, so it is essential that people have what they need to be successful and give back to others,” Eley adds. “I will be training anybody who needs help, whether it be servers, managers, franchisees. We will also offer continuing education and training on new menu items, initiatives and more. Franchisees need the resources to succeed even after opening their doors. It is all about consistency — really making sure the team is hitting the standard every time and the quality is there. The experience that we give as trainers is the experience our team will give guests, whether it is a perfect plate of food or top-notch service. That impacts the whole system, especially as we grow. This generation will take our brand to the next level, so I want to continue to help them be better.”
Robert Maynard, CEO and Founder of Famous Toastery, says he couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Eley back onto the team during such an exciting time for the brand. The team hopes to sell eight to 10 deals in 2022 and open four to six restaurants next year. Looking long-term into 2024, Maynard and his team aim to have 50 open restaurants.
“With the strong foundation we already have and the growing team coming in, the time has never been better to join the Famous Toastery family,” says Maynard. “Expert guidance from Famous Toastery-pros like Ann will help incoming owners leverage our business model and open a beloved neighborhood establishment in their local market.”
