Pursuing Innovation in Franchising with Sanjay Jain, Chairman of the National DCP Board of Directors

Sanjay shares how to run a successful franchise by following brand processes and adjusting to the shift towards digital, loyalty-driven operations. He also discusses the value of enterprise risk management, compliance, and consistency. 

Welcome to Elevating Brick and Mortar. A podcast about how operations and facilities drive brand performance.

On today’s episode, we talk with Sanjay Jain, the Chairman of the National DCP Board of Directors and independent franchise business owner. NDCP brings global expertise in strategic sourcing, distribution, restaurant solutions, business services, and supply chain to serve Dunkin’, one of the world’s leading restaurant brands.

Guest Bio:
Sanjay Jain serves as the Chairman of the National DCP Board of Directors. He brings 35 years of Accounting, Finance, and Information Technology experience with Fortune 500 companies to the supply chain management cooperative.Jain joined the NDCP Board in 2016, representing Series C. Prior to becoming Board Chairman, Jain served as the Treasurer, co-chaired the Sourcing Committee, and spearheaded the Internal Audit function at NDCP through his role on the Finance/Audit Committee. 

He currently owns a large network of Dunkin’/Baskin Robbins stores in Queens and Long Island, New York. As an elected District Advisory Co-Chair franchisee from Queens, he is actively involved with the Development Committee, Compliance, NY Sales Taxes and the Wage Group. In his capacity as a member of Dunkin’s Brand Advisory Committee, he works with the Menu Management and Development Advisory Sub-Committees.

Jain’s work as a financial executive and certified public accountant in the retail, food and supply chain industry has included an emphasis on internal controls, financial reporting, tax, and risk management. As the Executive Vice President and Chief Internal Auditor of Abovenet Inc., Jain helped turn the Company from bankruptcy into a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange by working closely with the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors. He developed their annual strategy, conducted risk analysis, and developed corporate plans for both domestic and foreign entities.

He also has ten years of public accounting and consulting experience. In his role as Audit Director at Ernst & Young and BDO Seidman in the Metro New York area, Jain helped clients streamline both their operations and control processes, managing and leading groups of professional auditors worldwide that saved his clients millions of dollars. He has been actively involved as a Board member with the Institute of Internal Auditors and has presented at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants forum.

Jain has a Management Information Systems degree from the University of Hartford, a Master of Business Administration degree from Dallas Baptist University and a Master of Commerce degree from the University of Rajasthan in India. 

Timestamps:

13:45 - About NDCP

05:17 - Sanjay’s venture into franchise ownership

08:53 - Following brand guidelines

10:24 - Handling consumer expectations

20:31 - How do you ensure consistency? 

28:35 - Dealing with scarce human capital

33:49 - The consumer of the future

39:35 - Advice for franchisees
41:13 - Where to find Sanjay

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