Co-Branded Units Helped Boost Traffic, Increase Check Size and Lower Capital Needs
- WOWorks is growing by putting multiple healthy restaurant brands in one location.
- The restaurant’s co-branding helped bring in more customers and increase check size.
- This strategy also helped franchisees grow without spending as much money.
- WOWorks plans to keep building on this co-branding approach in 2026.
Franchise experts want to grow their business, but not all go about it in the same way. Some open new stores. Others expand menu items or services. While others double down on loyalty programs and upselling. But WOWorks, the parent company of fast-casual, better-for-you restaurant brands including Saladworks and Barberitos, believes the growth secret sauce stems from another franchise strategy: co-branding.
The company isn’t merely speculating. CEO Kelly Roddy put WOWorks brands through a yearlong test, integrating Frutta Bowls into Saladworks and Barberitos locations. In 2025, the company opened 13 co-branded units. The results exceeded their own expectations. Roddy’s team saw high foot traffic, an increase in the average check size and revenue gains with lower capital investment.
The Benefits of Restaurant Co-Branding
“Adding an amazing concept like Frutta Bowls into existing proven concepts provides incredible variety and eliminates the ‘veto vote.’ There’s something for everyone,” says Roddy. “Our co-branded restaurants averaged 17.2% of total store sales.”
While many restaurant brands have back burnered expansion plans due to rising costs, Roddy sought a business strategy that would support growth and appeal to the younger audience coveted by many franchises. Last year, he launched a co-branded restaurant test to see if joining forces might be the ticket.
Co-branded restaurants tend to take on a life of their own—one that differs from how each brand operated solo. Instead of fighting it, WOWorks embraced operational changes — and benefited from them. Case in point: With the addition of Frutta Bowls, Saladworks and Barberitos locations began opening earlier to draw a breakfast crowd.
“We introduced a new part of the day, which allowed us to cater to a wider audience,” notes Roddy. “This significantly increased engagement with core fruit bowl customers, enabling them to discover host brands like Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh and Barberitos.”
More Options for Eating Healthy
When it comes to restaurant co-branding, WOWorks may have an advantage: its customers share a common trait — they want to eat healthy on the go. The common goal makes cross-selling seamless.
By co-branding restaurants, WOWorks was able to expand menu options organically. Coupling up also boosted brand recognition, allowing customers to discover new restaurants in a single visit.
“It’s common for guests to order a salad from Saladworks alongside a smoothie from Frutta Bowls or complement a burrito from Barberitos with a Frutta Bowls iced coffee. These new combinations create a level of choice and excitement that resonates with our customers, driving both foot traffic and higher average check sizes.”
Customers get more choices in one place, and franchisees share operational costs (rent, labor and utilities) while leveraging existing infrastructure. In other words, everybody wins.
“Franchisees can enhance their offerings and reach a broader customer base without incurring substantial financial risk.” Even the brands benefit from increased exposure.
Of course, it’s important to pair the right brands — and not every combination is a fit. WOWorks selected brands and concepts that could “coexist effectively” using comprehensive market research, customer demographics and performance data. “By doing so, we maximized revenue potential and minimized operational complexities,” Roddy says.
A competitive edge doesn’t hurt either. WOWorks’ ace in the hole is its commitment to cleaner food — an ethos embedded in the brand. “It differentiates us from our competitors and appeals to an expanding demographic seeking nutritious meals.”
Nationwide Expansion
While co-branding restaurants proved to be an eye-opener for WOWorks in 2025, it marks a small part of the company’s overall success. The company also opened 24 new locations and signed 40 new franchise agreements, many with multi-unit operators in key markets like Memphis and Raleigh-Durham. The company scaled to nearly 240 units nationwide and opened its first Frutta Bowls in Canada. In 2026, the company plans on building on its co-branding efforts to capture a larger share of the healthy, fast-casual market.
“Our commitment to providing cleaner food options that meet the demands of today’s health-conscious consumers positions us for continued growth in a challenging market,” Roddy explains.
Co-branding is a creative way to boost business, but it only works when brands stay true to their mission. WOWorks continues to evolve with culinary trends and changing eating habits. In 2025, the company introduced protein bowls at Barberitos and butterfly tea and Dubai chocolate at Frutta Bowls.
Keeping Ahead of Inflation
As fast-casual brands face ongoing inflation, rising costs and increasingly selective franchisees, WOWorks plows forward. Roddy plans to drive results by thinking outside the box — pairing complementary brands, expanding day parts and lowering costs for franchisees. And inflation remains a real concern for operators: the National Restaurant Association reported that menu prices rose 3.8% year over year in March, including a 3.2% increase at limited-service restaurants. Roddy is confident that WOWorks’ core offering — healthy food served up in a variety of ways — will also help mitigate risk for franchisees.
“The success of our cleaner food offerings resonates particularly well with customers, further enhancing franchisee operational success,” he says.
If the early results are any indication, co-branding won’t play just a supporting role in WOWorks’ continued success — it may be the engine fueling it.
Learn more about WOWorks.
