Key Takeaways from NIFA Q3 2025: Navigating Growth in Today’s Franchise Landscape

Key Takeaways from NIFA Q3 2025: Navigating Growth in Today’s Franchise Landscape

Franchising offers exciting opportunities for entrepreneurs, but in today’s fast-moving environment, success requires more than simply choosing the hottest concept. It takes careful evaluation, strong operational leadership and trusted partnerships to weather unpredictable times.

At the Northern Illinois Franchise Association’s (NIFA) Q3 2025 lunchtime gathering, Andy Jacobi—Jersey Mike’s franchisee, entrepreneur and executive leader—shared his perspective on what it takes to succeed in franchising today. Drawing on his background in finance, as well as independent restaurant operations and ownership, Andy discussed how to drown out the noise to navigate growth and development in 2025 and beyond.

Andy began by centering the conversation on the biggest decision for any prospective franchisee: choosing the right concept. As the founder of a four-unit independent sandwich shop, he already had a knack for data analysis, operational efficiency and building scalable systems. So, when he and his business partner began exploring franchise ownership, they looked for an established brand with strong unit economics and a proven playbook. They wanted a model that was consistent, flexible and built on fundamentals. Jersey Mike’s immediately stood out.

For Andy, the stability of the brand isn’t just a safety net; it’s a long-term growth strategy. Today’s franchise environment comes with plenty of challenges, including intense competition and ongoing economic uncertainty. A concept with strong development economics isn’t just more profitable, it’s also more resilient, better equipped to weather market shifts and designed to provide franchisees with a solid foundation.

Operations and the Human Element

Andy continued by emphasizing that success isn’t just about having the right systems in place; it’s about having the right people behind those systems. While technology has become a buzzword across the industry, Andy stressed that “tech for the sake of tech” is meaningless if it doesn’t make operations more efficient. What ultimately sustains business performance is the human side of hospitality. While customers value speed and convenience, the “gift of the gab,” or the natural ability to provide a genuine personal touch, is still critical to the dining experience and builds lasting loyalty.

That same focus on people over pure mechanics carries into how Andy thinks about financing and growth.

Andy and his partner, Michael Jacober, team up with a core group of investors who hold equity across all their Jersey Mike’s units. These investors get first access to any future franchise investments they pursue, building alignment and trust across ventures. Beyond capital, Andy nurtures these relationships by sending quarterly updates on brands, trends and opportunities to maintain an open dialogue. This approach ensures his investors aren’t just funding growth but are invested in the long-term vision, creating a stronger foundation for future expansion.

Andy’s Q&A highlighted how franchising blends structure with opportunity. From choosing the right brand to building investor relationships, his insights reinforced that success comes down to clarity: clarity of model, clarity of leadership and clarity of purpose. His advice served as both inspiration and a practical guide for anyone looking to enter or expand within franchising today.

We want to extend a special thank you to Andy Jacobi for sharing his perspective and sparking such a thoughtful discussion. Stay tuned for details on our next NIFA gathering by following our LinkedIn.