Sarasota, FL Welcomes Healthy Restaurant Franchise Owners Luke and Laura Anderson!
Sarasota, Florida doesn’t have to wait long to enjoy gourmet toasts and cold-pressed juices from one of the country’s fastest-growing healthy food franchises. Toastique is coming to town under the leadership of Luke and Laura Anderson. For a brand that’s synonymous with healthy and active lifestyles, there couldn’t have been a better pair to introduce Toastique to Sarasota.
For the couple, it was love at first sight. “Having run multiple businesses and after researching the world of franchise businesses, I was truly impressed from the moment I received the first piece of literature about Toastique. I was all in,” says Luke about the couple’s Franchise Discovery Process.
As Laura puts it, “Being the cook in the house, fueling my active family with healthy food has always been a priority. Finding a brand that I could feel good about and help bring that concept to others greatly influenced my desire to partner with Toastique.”
Let’s meet the Andersons!
Luke and Laura have lived in the Sarasota area since 2003 and in Lakewood Ranch since 2009. Their only son, Chad, is a junior at Lakewood Ranch High School. Laura, who is originally from Central California, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University. She was also a collegiate D1 softball team member there.
She went back to school at SCF to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN) and was a Labor & Delivery Nurse for five years at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Looking for an opportunity to spend more time with their son she transitioned to Lakewood Ranch High School where she has served as both a nurse and a faculty member.
Luke is from Florida and was raised in Bradenton. He attended Bayshore High School where he was a multi-sport varsity letterman and went on to play collegiate D1 football at Eastern Kentucky University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He is the former owner, operator, and partner of Audio Video Partners (AVP), LLC., a low voltage and audio-video integration firm specializing in commercial projects.
Before AVP, Luke was a partner in Synergy Multimedia and later sold that business to Tempus Electronic Lifestyles. At Tempus, he served as the head of operations and project management. He recently sold his ownership in AVP to his partner to pursue new passions and business endeavors.
The right brand, the right location
What makes Luke and Laura the right Franchise Owners for Toastique’s new location? Well, the Andersons love the area for its “year-round active lifestyle,” as they put it. How active are the couple, by the way? Traveling, hiking, running, fitness, tennis, and cooking are some of their top leisure activities. Sounds pretty active to us!
As Laura says, “We wanted a business that suited our personal and professional backgrounds. With Toastique, we knew right away that it was the perfect fit for us.”
The duo is deeply involved in their community, in everything from youth sports to business networking. They also love the area for its young families and high-level public education. Considering their interests and those of the market they will operate in, Luke says they are excited to bring this new healthy and active lifestyle brand to the area.
From Toastique’s point of view, they’re not just the ideal Franchise Owners. They’re also the ideal customers. This enables the Andersons to better understand the local market and orient their outreach to address the need gap for healthy food in the area.
In Luke’s words, “We were looking for a franchise brand that was new, had a product offering that we could be passionate about, and a modern aesthetic. Toastique checked all of those boxes.”
“Genuine leadership”
Laura and Luke were impressed when they met Toastique’s leadership team, including Founder Brianna Keefe and CFO/Director of Construction Kyle Izett. The Sarasota couple has one word to describe them: genuine. Their admiration for Brianna and Kyle grew as they realized that the Founders were living the Toastique brand values. “Their dedication really struck us,” Laura says.
Approval Day was special for the Andersons. This is the opportunity for prospective Franchise Owners to travel to Toastique’s Washington, D.C. headquarters and experience the operations of the business first-hand, as well as sit down for a face-to-face with Brianna and Kyle. They liked the locations they visited and were impressed by the evolution of the space layout in each new location.
Luke says, “Having built a business from scratch, we know first-hand the challenges you face when owning a business. We were impressed from the beginning by not only the product and image of Toastique but also the business model and level of detail the team has put together.”
The product, the people, and the positioning seemed perfect for the new Franchise Owners. “The gourmet product offerings, clean and elegant branding strategy, and a simple business model that we could be part of early on and bring to our market,” are a few of the things that Laura says helped the couple make their decision.
“After the meeting, we knew this would indeed be a partnership and not just a stand-alone operation,” she adds.
The Andersons know that their new venture will be successful because they’re passionate, determined, and more than willing to put in the hard work. “Combining the business ownership and construction experience Luke has with the passion and determination I possess is going to be a killer combination,” Laura says with confidence.
Laura has a simple piece of advice to future Franchise Owners: Clarify all your doubts. As she states, “There are never too many questions to ask.”
Luke adds, “Owning a business is not easy. Make sure you have a solid plan in place before making this commitment. Your success will not be determined solely by you or your efforts but by your ability to surround yourself with people that make you better.”
Laura and Luke are now looking forward to “bringing this new and healthy brand to our local market and sharing that with family, friends, and the community.”
You too can become an entrepreneur, backed by a national brand known for creative gourmet toasts, cold-pressed juices, açaí bowls, and a simple, proven business model. Please visit our franchise website for more info.
