When evaluating a franchise opportunity, it's easy to get caught up in the surface-level details: menu items, average unit volume, initial investment ranges. But some of the most important questions a prospective franchise owner can ask have nothing to do with spreadsheets. Who is actually behind the brand? How do they make decisions? And will they still be accessible once you're part of the system?
Those are exactly the questions Jeremiah's Italian Ice CEO Michael Keller tackled in a recent conversation with Sanjay Bhatia on the Runday Show, where he opened up about how the brand is approaching its next stage of growth — and why staying close to franchisees matters just as much now as it did when Jeremiah's was a fraction of its current size.
A Clear, Ambitious Growth Plan
Jeremiah's has set a goal of reaching 300 locations by 2030, continuing a growth trajectory that's taken the brand from a single Winter Park, Florida pushcart in 1996 to a nationwide franchise system. The brand began franchising in 2019, and Keller — who stepped into the CEO and president role in 2023 — has been candid in past interviews about taking "great pains to make sure each location lives up to the Jeremiah's promise of quality" even as the company grows quickly, rather than growth for growth's sake.
How New Markets Get Chosen
Scaling to 300 units means being deliberate about where the brand shows up next. Keller discusses how Jeremiah's approaches new market selection — balancing demand, demographics, and the right franchise partners — so that expansion strengthens the brand instead of diluting it.
Recruitment and Support Aren't an Afterthought
For prospective owners, this is one of the most telling parts of the conversation. Keller talks through how Jeremiah's is investing in both sides of the franchisee relationship: recruiting the right operators from the start, and then backing them with the support structure to actually succeed — not just at the signing table, but well into day-to-day operations.
Technology in Service of Simplicity
Rather than adding complexity, Jeremiah's is using technology to streamline operations for franchisees — a theme that comes up repeatedly in Keller's comments. The same philosophy shows up in product development: new items are built with an eye toward what's simple to execute behind the counter, not just what looks good on a menu board.
Knowing the People Behind the Brand
Perhaps the most important takeaway for prospective owners: even as Jeremiah's scales toward 300 locations, Keller is clear that the brand wants new franchisees to know the actual people who will be supporting them — not just a corporate name. That high-touch, relationship-driven approach is something Keller sees as a differentiator, not a limitation, as the system grows.
The Takeaway for Prospective Owners
Numbers and products matter — but they only tell part of the story. Leadership accessibility, a clear growth strategy, and genuine investment in franchisee success are just as critical to evaluate. Keller's conversation with Bhatia offers a candid look at how Jeremiah's is thinking about all three.
Watch the full conversation on the Runday Show to hear Michael Keller's complete perspective on Jeremiah's path to 300 locations.
