One of the most interesting franchise success stories of the last few years is Pinot’s Palette. The franchise is part of the growing paint-and-sip industry and is currently the highest rated and largest franchise in that category. For those who have never visited a paint-and-sip studio, the idea may sound a bit strange. These establishments provide fun painting lessons for adults on weeknights and weekends. The lessons are casual, and there is no art experience required. Additionally, the studios provide all of the materials, so all the participants have to do is show up.
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What makes these new studios different from traditional community art classes is that they also provide high-quality wine to all of the participants. This helps create a very fun and relaxing atmosphere for everyone involved, and these painting lessons have become an enjoyable activity for friends hanging out, couples going on a date and individuals trying to meet new people. Though the formula of paint plus wine seems simple, these franchises have put a lot of work into making this experience as unintimidating and fun as possible. Pinot’s Palette is only one of many paint-and-sip franchises that are sweeping the country, but it is without a doubt the most successful.
Pinot’s Palette Expansion in 2015
At the pace they are currently granting franchise licenses, it appears that Pinot’s Palette will have no trouble reaching its goal of 60 new locations this year. It has already awarded 35 franchise agreements this year and the company says it will stick to its target of 60 and only award 25 more in 2015. Last year, they granted the most franchise agreements they ever had with 41 new licenses, and they are already very close to that record with five more months to go.
The President of Pinot’s Palette, Charles Willis, has made it clear that the franchise does not just give a license to any potential franchisee who applies. They have a rigorous process to make sure that their potential partner has the resources and skills to launch a successful Pinot’s Palette studio. In addition, they are doing exhaustive market research to better understand which locations and cities have the most demand for their studios and how to make their franchises even more successful.
The company currently receives about 500 inquiries about new franchise locations every month. In order to protect the brand, the large majority of these are turned down. They are looking for the entrepreneurs and situations that have the most potential.
As of this month, the franchise has 136 locations operating or in development. These franchises are located in 33 different states and Canada, and the company is the first U.S.-based paint-and-sip studio to expand internationally. Though growth has been tremendous so far, the company is still looking to expand further in major metropolitan markets such as Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Seattle, San Jose, Long Island, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
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Entrepreneurs looking for a profitable and unique franchise should spend some time learning about Pinot’s Palette. For some potential franchisees, it would be a great business choice.
