Taqueria del Sol launching franchise plan

"He’s very persistent," Klank said of Burnett. "So, I talked to him, and everybody in the industry speaks well of him."

This year, Taqueria del Sol established a wholly-owned subsidiary to franchise the brand. The plan is to slowly and methodically expand outside Georgia, aiming for five new openings next year and 40 within the next five years.

Klank describes himself as a hands-on operator and says restaurant companies should resist the urge to grow too fast. Burnett, who was named president and CEO of the franchising operation, said he had to convince Klank that franchising didn't necessarily jeopardize the quality of food or customer service.

"There’s a good way to franchise, and there’s a bad way," said Burnett. "We are not selling franchises to people unless they have significant restaurant operating experience. You select a franchisee that knows what they’re doing."

Executives are working on financial disclosure documents and formalizing recipes so they can be duplicated elsewhere. The plan is to start opening new restaurants next year in southeast and East Coast cities such as Knoxville, Philadelphia, and Birmingham, where Burnett says he has the most contacts. The parent company will retain the rights to Georgia in case Klank chooses to open new restaurants of his own.

"People may say it’s a tough time to do this because of the economy," said Klank. But "we’ve done well in this economic time. We’ve stayed flat, which is good."

"We do the quality by being very strict about who we award a franchise to," said Klank. The winners should share the parent company's "same attitude towards food and running a restaurant," he said.

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