Over A Decade Of Growth For Papa Murphy’s Franchise Owners

Franchisees Kim and Ray Fields Reflect on 14 Years of Business

For Kim and Ray Fields, Papa Murphy’s was there from the beginning. As a teenager, Ray started his first job with Papa Murphy’s and has now been with the company for over 27 years. After climbing the ladder and bringing in his wife to help grow their business, the power couple now owns and operates 7 Papa Murphy’s locations. Together they’ve been delighting customers in their area with iconic take-and-bake pizzas, and their business is thriving. Here’s what Ray had to say about their experience as multi-unit franchise owners with Papa Murphy’s franchise.

What was your motivation for becoming a Franchise Owner with Papa Murphy’s?

We wanted to be our own boss and wanted to control our own success. Being a role model and helping mentor young people has been very rewarding. We also wanted to impact our community as ethical local business owners.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Our work day has evolved as we began to purchase more stores. Kim handles the marketing and bookkeeping, and I manage the operations of the stores. We have a daily routine in the office that takes a couple hours. Kim will reconcile Quickbooks, and I will review numbers for the previous day and communicate information to the managers. While we have a wonderful area supervisor, Kim and I still go into the stores a few times each week and make pizzas with the crew. Depending on staffing levels, we will help train new employees, make pizzas, help with prep, etc. However, we have a robust training system, so we are never needed in stores. We just like helping.

What kind of support do you have from corporate members?

Papa Murphy’s offers a wide variety of support to all franchisees. There is a wonderful training program and tech support. The support team is just an email or phone call away when you need help with a process or tech issue. Our Field Marketing rep helps me manage our cash flow and digital marketing.

What advice would you offer to someone considering a Papa Murphy’s franchise?

In the beginning, you will need to be in the store with your team learning systems and coaching. If you want to grow, you’ll need to continually be training yourself. Don’t be afraid to do local marketing. Buy into the system. Ask every question you can think of. You will need to roll up your sleeves and make some pizzas! Use the Papa Murphy’s support team and your fellow franchisees as a resource.

What are your goals in the years ahead?

Adding stores to our portfolio has continued to be in our long-term plan. We will continue to grow and add above-store management. Growth in a controlled manner has been a relatively low risk for us. Our plan for upcoming stores is to build new buildings with a drive-thru. We look at our stores as a major investment, and will one day either sell them and retire or slowly hand the reins to our current area supervisor.

Explore the Papa Murphy’s Franchise Opportunity

Ready to join the take-and-bake pizza revolution and become a Papa Murphy’s franchise owner? To find out more about our brand and the benefits of franchising with Papa Murphy’s, visit our research pages here. If you want to start a conversation with our franchise team about your entrepreneurial aspirations, fill out our inquiry form here, and we’ll get in touch with you soon. We look forward to learning more about you!