Operations

Roots Chicken providing ownership opportunities for marginalized community members

Photo: TD2

January 31, 2024

Texas-based Roots Chicken Shak is launching a franchise model designed with a low footprint to eliminate food waste and a streamlined menu centered around chef Tiffany Derry's duck-fat-fried chicken. Roots, operated by T2D Concepts, not only presents a scalable restaurant concept but also works to catalyze social justice, said co-founder Tom Foley.

"Our mission at T2D Concepts is to practice hospitality with purpose: deliver great experiences for our guests and great opportunities for our people and partners," he said in a company press release. "We designed this model to shift the franchise system and provide pathways for marginalized community members to operate their own business. We invite those interested in starting a franchise and making a difference to join our mission."

What differentiates T2D's franchise model from others is the criteria of its potential franchise owner-operators, said Derry, who is a co-founder and believes the success of a franchisee is not necessarily tied to only their financial strength. Rather than looking at net worth, bank account balance or credit score first, T2D looks for individuals who embrace its core values: the passion to deliver legendary hospitality and a commitment to excellence. The secondary factor is that the potential operator possesses a baseline level of restaurant operations experience. This allows qualified individuals who may be undercapitalized, both currently and historically, to join T2D as owner-operators or multi-unit developers, said Derry, who is co-founder.

"As a black female, I understand and empathize with the challenges of breaking into and becoming successful in the hospitality industry," she said. "That's why this endeavor is so important — to be able to provide under-resourced individuals the opportunity and resources to build a better life for not only themselves but also the communities they live in."

While recognizing the reality of restaurant development and the need for capital, T2D's solution is crafted to clear financial hurdles by leveraging strategic relationships with funding partners, municipalities and companies aligned with the group's mission, Derry said.

T2D Concepts currently operates two Roots Chicken Shak locations in Plano and Austin, Texas, with a third slated to open in DeSoto, Texas.