Operations

Teriyaki Madness co-founder helping other brands expand

May 17, 2021

Teriyaki Madness Co-founder Rod Arreola hopes to help other restaurant brands expand their footprints as development director for Raintree, the franchise sales organization that helped his Las Vegas-based chain become a national brand.

"When Teriyaki Madness really started to expand nationally, I met Raintree co-founders Mike Edwards and Brent Dowling in Denver," Arreola said in a press release. "We partnered with Raintree, and their team really took Teriyaki Madness to the next level. Around 2016, I wanted to find a new challenge, and I decided it was time for me to exit. Since then, I've remained great friends with the Raintree team."

After taking some time off, Arreola became a franchise owner in 2019 with Kidcreate Studio, another Raintree partner. When Dowling and Edwards introduced Arreola to the art studio brand, he knew it would be a great fit for the families in his community.

"I had always wanted to invest in a franchise myself and looked at a ton of concepts after exiting Teriyaki Madness, but I knew this was the right choice," Arreola said. "The past year has obviously been tough with COVID-19, but we are now seeing a lot of growth coming into the summer season. It has really been a great experience and is a testament to the quality of brands Raintree works with."

Joining Raintree
Earlier this year, Edwards and Dowling approached Arreola about the possibility of joining the Raintree team. He loved the idea of helping Raintree expand other brands like it helped Teriyaki Madness and officially came on board as a franchise development director last month.

"One of the reasons I decided to join the Raintree team was because I knew I could get behind some amazing brands," said Arreola, who is working with Voodoo Brewing Co., Tin Drum Asian Kitchen as well as the staffing brand, Nextaff. "From the initial lead, all the way to signing the franchise agreement, I'll be working with prospects to help them achieve their goals," he said. "I missed the franchise sales aspect of the industry — working with prospects, showing them the brand and attending discovery days.

"Now, with this role, I get to do that again. I will also be working with the leadership teams of all the brands to help support growth, build out their systems and enhance their franchise marketing."

Over the next six months, Arreola's goal is to sell at least 10 units for each of the brands he works with.

"Rod is not only someone we want to have a beer with, but he has also worked with us for years and deeply understands Raintree and the franchising industry," Dowling said. "We know he will bring a fresh perspective and tons of franchise development experience to his new role, which will benefit our company as a whole and help our brands achieve their growth goals."