Leading pizza franchise, Papa John’s, has announced Bhrijesh Patel has opened the company’s latest Papa John’s in Herne Bay, Kent. Bhrijesh and his brother Rajan who joined Papa John’s as franchisees last year, already run the Banstead, Portsmouth, Reigate and Guildford stores and the new Herne Bay opening is part of further expansion plans for the entrepreneurial duo.

“We recently had the opportunity to purchase a freehold in Herne Bay near the main high-street,” explains Bhrijesh. “With a mixed demographic and lots of families in the area, the location is perfect for pizza!

“We live in Kent so are keen to expand in the surrounding region and over the past year we have worked closely with Papa John’s to realise this goal,” continues Bhrijesh. “All the stores we have opened up until now, have been re-sales, taken over from existing franchisees. This strategy has enabled us to expand quickly. However, Herne Bay will be a brand new venture, which is exciting!

“We come from a retail background,” confirms Bhrijesh. “Our family owns a chain of stores but my brother and I were keen to diversify. We met with Papa John’s at a franchise show then talked to the Banstead franchisee. We did a deal and the rest, as they say, is history!

“There is no real secret to our success so far, it is just down to hard work! We try to keep things simple, working with the franchise system and not against it. Papa John’s has the knowledge of how the model works and we stick to our training, we don’t over complicate matters. Our goal for the future is to expand and run more stores with Papa John’s over the next few years. As Papa John’s grows we plan to too!”