Kendall’s History
Kendall Ware’s journey began in the back of a small-town restaurant — knee-deep in dishes, trying to make sense of the chaos behind the scenes. For many, it’s a familiar start. But for Kendall, it was more than a first job. It sparked a passion for hospitality, leadership, and growth that would shape the rest of his career.
While others followed the traditional path, Kendall skipped college and dove straight into the industry. By his late teens, he was managing restaurants, leading teams, and overseeing corporate training and new store openings for one of the fastest-growing franchise brands in the country — helping scale it from just seven locations to over 100.
In his mid-20s, Kendall became a franchisee — determined to understand the other side of the model. That decision changed everything. It gave him an operator’s lens and a deep respect for the challenges franchisees face every day — a perspective that continues to shape his leadership philosophy.
At 30, he became CEO of Orange Leaf, an $85 million frozen yogurt brand. He led a full turnaround and strategically built a multi-brand platform by co-founding new concepts and acquiring existing ones — ultimately positioning the company for a successful exit. At 33, he was appointed President of Cinnabon and Carvel, overseeing a $2.5 billion global portfolio. In that role, he also shaped co-branding strategy and shared growth initiatives across portfolio brands including Jamba, Auntie Anne’s, and Schlotzsky’s. Most recently, he served as COO of Walk-On’s Sports Bistro, helping scale the emerging casual dining brand nationwide.
What sets Kendall apart isn’t just the pace of his rise — it’s the range of experience that got him there. Franchisee and franchisor. Operator and strategist. Brand builder and turnaround CEO. He’s led from the front and from the field — and that’s exactly what makes his message resonate.
Today, Kendall speaks, advises, and partners with brands across the industry to do one thing: strengthen the franchisor–franchisee relationship. Because when that relationship works, everything else follows — consistency, profitability, growth, and trust. This belief ultimately led Kendall to create the term FranShip®, now central to his keynote, consulting framework, and upcoming book.
Franchising became his platform — but elevating leaders has always been his purpose.
What Kendall Does Now
After two decades leading brands from both the franchisor and franchisee side, Kendall transitioned from executive leadership into strategic consulting, keynote speaking, and advisory work. Today, he partners with franchise brands to strengthen the franchisor–franchisee relationship, improve operational consistency, and unlock new levels of growth.
From one-on-one advising to high-impact workshops and stage presentations, Kendall helps franchisors, franchisees, and industry leaders build alignment, drive profitability, and shape the future of franchising.
Career Timeline
Promoted to first-time manager at a high-volume, full-service restaurant — igniting a passion for developing people and driving operational excellence.
Led his first new restaurant opening, building core systems, training manuals, and operational playbooks — laying the foundation for future growth.
Promoted to lead the corporate training department and oversee new restaurant openings for an emerging franchise brand, contributing to its growth from 7 to 100 locations.
Appointed operating partner for six joint venture restaurants across four states, leading new market development and multi-unit operations — with full P&L ownership and two locations achieving the highest performance in company history to this day.
Recruited as the youngest corporate hire for a 500 unit franchise brand to lead training and operational services — helping drive a successful turnaround through new systems, field training programs, menu innovation, and the rollout of strategic brand initiatives.
Became a franchisee to fully understand both sides of the franchise relationship — knowing that to become the best franchisor possible, he needed to experience the risk, responsibility, and realities franchisees face every day. That decision not only shaped his perspective — it led to record-breaking performance and Franchisee of the Year honors.
Recruited as Vice President of Operations for a 300-unit global franchise system — expanding his leadership across construction, product development, international growth, and IT. Built cross-functional alignment and drove initiatives that improved franchisee profitability and positioned the brand for its next stage of growth.
Appointed CEO of an $85M franchise brand, leading a full-scale turnaround by reinventing the business model, rebuilding franchisee trust, and repositioning the concept to stand out in a saturated category. Introduced new revenue streams, forged national brand partnerships, and restructured the franchise strategy to prioritize engaged, operator-led growth.
Broadened CEO scope beyond single-brand leadership — cofounded a new franchise concept and led the acquisition of a regional brand to build a multi-brand platform. Leveraged cross-brand integration and co-branding strategies to unlock new growth opportunities and strengthen the value proposition for franchisees — ultimately positioning the portfolio for a successful exit.
Recruited as President of two globally recognized franchise brands, driving $2.5B in annual revenue with a combined presence of 2,300+ locations. Launched digital platforms, expanded nontraditional development, and created integrated brand concepts to unlock new real estate opportunities and accelerate expansion.
Recruited as COO of a $385M casual dining brand backed by major sports figures, with an AUV of $5M. Modernized technology infrastructure, streamlined operations, and implemented a fully integrated regional support model with dedicated resources for operations, marketing, training, and culinary. Developed a new scalable prototype and simplified the made-from-scratch menu to drive consistency, reduce complexity, and improve unit-level profitability.
Made the leap from executive to entrepreneur — dedicating this chapter to coaching, consulting, speaking, and publishing as an author. Now focused full-time on elevating leaders to transform businesses at scale.
Personal Life
When he’s not helping businesses grow, Kendall’s most fulfilling role is being a dad to his two children, Lively and Lucca. He’s also a rollerblader — yes, really — and hits the skate park whenever he can, still throwing down ramps, rails, and spins like it’s 1999.
