"Without realizing it at the time, we were in the franchise business before the word 'franchise' was fashionable. We opened another store and another and another ..." They made an agreement with the new store owners, which became "franchise agreements" and they became the first food company ever to franchise their outlets.
Initially, we were involved in the licensing business before the term "licensing" became popular. We opened additional stores and formed agreements with new store owners, which eventually became known as "franchise agreements." This marked a historic first for the food industry in franchising its outlets.