Roll’d – Franchisees Share Their Stories

Inspired by Vietnamese family recipes handed down over generations, Roll’d combines traditional cuisine with modern togo convenience to create an offering of fresh, flavoursome and delicious Vietnamese street eats that appeals to foodies and franchisees alike.

Bao Hoang opened the first Roll’d store in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD in 2012. Hoang’s recipes were handed down from his family; refugees who came by boat to Australia in 1981. Motivated by the demand he had noticed for sushi rolls as a simple take-away option, Hoang realised that Vietnamese rice paper rolls could offer the same health and convenience benefits while introducing more Australians to the unique flavours of Vietnamese cuisine.

Australian-born and rich in Vietnamese heritage—just like Hoang— Roll’d is committed to delivering value through memorable food experiences. These are exciting times for the Roll’d franchise which celebrated its 100th store opening in March 2021 and has plans for international expansion on the horizon.

We met store owners Simon Keegel and Kevin Nguyen to learn about their experiences as Roll’d franchisees.

Meet SIMON KEEGEL, Roll’d franchisee, ACT

What inspired you to become a Roll’d franchisee?

I’m close friends with one of the Roll’d founders, Tin Ly. We grew up together in Melbourne, so, I was always observing the progress and reputation of the business in its early stages. I was at the opening day for the first Roll’d store in Melbourne and was in awe of the massive lines of people that were keen to get some fresh Vietnamese. Growing up, I used to get Banh Mi from a local Vietnamese bakery, so I had a great appreciation of Vietnamese food from early on.

I saw the potential that the Roll’d brand had to grow and believed in the amazing product.

I was a Roll’d employee for three and a half years before making the move to become a franchisee and buy my first store. In 2015, I was seconded to Canberra to assist in the management of the then two stores that were in the ACT. I was able to grow the sales to a level where I saw good potential to be successful as a franchisee with Roll’d.

I bought three Roll’d stores in 2018 and now have five Roll’d stores in the ACT.

How is life as a Roll’d franchisee?

I have always been given amazing support from the Roll’d head office team whenever I need it. As a multi-site owner, I received some great advice on how to move to more of an area management type role.

The thing that stands out to me most about the Roll’d franchise is the family culture. Even with over 90 stores, it feels like every person involved, including the founders, head office team, franchisees and their teams, all care about each other like a big family.

My work-life balance has considerably improved since becoming a franchisee. I used to dedicate a lot of time to Roll’d as a company employee and now I think I have learnt how to better manage my time to maintain a much better balance as a franchisee.

I got married in November 2018 and had my first daughter in 2020 so I try to spend as much time as possible with them as I can while trying to be smart with the time I spend managing the businesses. I am lucky to be able to rely on the dedication and amazing efforts of my store managers and other team members.

I would definitely recommend Roll’d as a franchise system to those who are willing to put in a bit of effort and believe in the Roll’d brand.

Meet KEVIN NGUYEN, Roll’d franchisee, Brisbane

What inspired you to become a Roll’d franchisee?

I am passionate about hospitality and have a degree in the hospitality industry. I chose Roll’d to grow as a franchisee because I could see how fast and strong their growth has been. Roll’d has helped make my dream come true by continuing my journey as a franchisee in Australia. Family has always been important to me and Roll’d is my family in Australia.

My inspiration every day is seeing the development of my team. I strongly believe in investing my money and time into my team. Watching them become a better version of themselves makes my days more colourful. I do not worry too much about the daily sales because I know when I have a great culture and good team performance then profit will come so I can spend more time looking for opportunities to grow the business.

How is life as a Roll’d franchisee?

When I started my journey as a Roll’d franchisee it was during that really tough period when Covid-19 was spreading badly in Australia. Fortunately, I received a lot of support from my Roll’d family, not only about finance and operations, but also about maintaining a healthy mentality during that difficult time. These things have helped me make it through the Covid-19 period and now I can work on confidently expanding my businesses. Thank you to the Roll’d fam and support team!

Up to now, one of my biggest achievements as a franchisee was activating a catering campaign in Queensland. I used the experiences I learned from Roll’d to approach a big catering market in Brisbane CBD, resulting in $3000-$4000 in weekly sales.

Another achievement was hosting my own grand opening at Roll’d Garden City where I represented the Roll’d franchise system to promote our business image to new markets in the south of Brisbane. We had a media wall, DJ player and family activities to promote the brand during the event which received a lot of great feedback.

For me, the advice I would give any new Roll’d franchisee is: “Please do not wait, make the decision when you think investing in Roll’d is right for your future. As a young franchisee, I did not have much experience in operating my own business, but we are family, and you will never feel lonely because you will always have support from the Roll’d franchise family. Together we can go faster, bigger and make our dreams come true.”

To learn more, contact the Roll’d Franchise Team at franchise@rolld.com.au or visit the website at www.rolld.com.au/franchise