Owners of the fast-growing rice bowl franchise open up about what they love about their businesses
WaBa Grill is home to some of the most passionate entrepreneurs in the franchise industry. Our franchise network includes established multi-unit operators who have dozens of WaBa Grill franchise locations, as well as family businesses who are active operators and take pride in showing up every day.
WaBa Grill is proud of our diverse group of franchise owners, as they are the reason why our brand continues to grow nationwide. It’s their dedication and passion that makes the WaBa Grill franchise such a dynamic and exciting fast casual franchise.
Here is what the WaBa Grill franchise family has to say about their businesses:
“My son and I would eat together at a local WaBa Grill, and he’s the one who suggested that we invest because our area is very health-conscious, active, and there wasn’t anything like it. We knew that it would do well. We met with the executive team, and I was very impressed. Seven years later, I have three WaBa Grill franchise locations and I’m working on opening my fourth. The executive team at WaBa Grill has helped me every step of the way, and they’ve allowed me to scale up into multi-unit ownership in a way that has been extremely effective for me. I am a franchise owner with other brands, but with WaBa Grill it feels more like a family.”
Ed Cartaya, owner of three WaBa Grill franchise locations.
“I’ve been in the franchise business for over 30 years. I’ve owned quite a few other brands, and over the years, I’ve always kept my eye out for a better business to get into. I wanted something that would be easy to scale, would be more lucrative, and would serve food that I could be proud of. Investing in a WaBa Grill was the best decision I ever made. The executive team has been incredibly supportive in helping us get established, and as an owner of other franchise concepts, the level of support that WaBa Grill provides is rare in the industry. I’m so happy that we decided to invest in a WaBa Grill franchise, as I’m proud of the food that we get to serve to our community.”
Minita Patel, owner of a WaBa Grill franchise.
“The food that WaBa Grill serves is timeless – it’s not a fad. The simplicity of the menu is beneficial to both customers and the franchise owners. We get to be versatile with a very limited number of ingredients, so that we get to appeal to anyone who wants to feel good about what they eat. Our price point makes us attractive to anyone who wants a healthy meal, and being that we have a drive-thru, offer curbside pickup, are on all of the delivery platforms, as well as offer dine-in, we’ve been able to really meet customers where they are. Our sales have continued to increase over the last few years, we’re very optimistic about the future.”
Peggy Lee, owner of multiple WaBa Grill franchise locations.
“I’ve been involved in many other concepts, but I always wanted to invest in a brand that was focused around healthy food. I took a look at a bunch of other franchise brands, but one day, my sister brought home WaBa Grill, and I was very impressed. I visited a restaurant and I loved how simple the restaurant was at every level. I loved the simplicity of the menu, the open kitchen, and the fact that customers could watch their food being prepared made it very trustworthy. I started with a few locations, and now, I own 19 in the Los Angeles area – and I’m planning to build-out Phoenix. The reason why it’s so scalable is because the business model is so simple and easy to replicate.”Jerry Bajwa, owner of 19 WaBa Grill franchise locations.
“A system was in place; how to prepare the rice, how to prepare the chicken, everything was in place. It makes it easier for your staff and makes it easier for you to train your staff. That adds to the scalability of this business. What you’ve learned and taught in one, you can repeat in the next location and on and on.”Javier Martinez, owner of multiple WaBa Grill franchise locations.
“The recipe is pretty simple. You really have to have a good team and have to structure it out. It just depends on how big you want to get, how much you want to scale. The opportunities are there. I think it’s a great concept and the support is definitely there. Everyone here treats you like family but also are taking care of business at the same time.”Raj Sangha, owner of 15 WaBa Grill franchise locations.