How International Franchisors Are Making a Name for Themselves in the U.S.
Justin Gibson was in Germany finishing up a study-abroad program in 2006 when he decided to do a little gift shopping. The Ph.D. candidate in economics was wandering around the west-central town of Giessen when he found himself in his dream gourmet store, stocked with glass balloons of specialty liqueurs; oak casks of aged Scotch; stoneware crocks of artisanal fruit-wine and balsamic vinegars; and olive and nut oils. Best of all, the employees urged him to sample everything.
"The guy inside the store kept asking me to try one of the vinegars, and I kept turning him down," Gibson says. "But then I tried it. That taste of vinegar changed my life--I couldn't imagine vinegar could taste like that." It was a one-of-a-kind retail experience, he thought--until he saw the pile of franchising brochures. It turned out he was in a ("from the cask" in German), one of the country's largest franchises, with more than 170 locations in Germany, Austria and
