Be My Franchise expo returns for a 24th time, what should buyers check in a brand?

According to the announcement on the expo’s official portal, the 24th edition ran on 15-18 October 2026 at the Yenikapı Eurasia Exhibition Centre. Perakende.org lists visiting hours from 16 October, so the role of 15 October in the programme is not clear from the sources. The portal says the platform has about 100,000 prospective investor members; that figure comes from the organiser.

Özcanlar Köfte, a meatball restaurant chain, explained its growth through the franchise model by way of location, feasibility and supply chain. One session covered branding through cosmetics and marketing experience, and an Emirates Franchise Association session looked at the UAE investment scene and Türkiye-UAE cooperation. The last session dealt with investor selection, corporate structure and sustainability in a franchise system (Perakende.org).

Speakers included Serhan Erem, Chairman of the Executive Board of Medyafors Fuarcılık; Murat Yılmazsoy, Chairman of Standards and Partners; Ayşe Aslan, Chair of BNI Türkiye; and Müjdat Güler, CEO of Nova Group (Perakende.org). One line from Ayşe Aslan sums up the axis of the day: “No brand is just a sign.”

According to Ekonomist on 23 September 2026, more than 15,000 visitors had registered ahead of the expo and the target was over 30,000. Based on budget ranges in registration forms, the organiser estimates investment potential could pass TL 100 billion. Both are targets and estimates; actual visitor and exhibitor numbers have not been published, and these figures may be out of date.

Let’s say an investor lays three brochures from the expo on the kitchen table. All three signs look good and every menu photo shines. Yet none answers the basic questions: what one portion costs, which items head office makes you buy from it, and how much of revenue the rent eats. The document that matters on that table is not the brochure but written answers to those questions.

The picture head office paints and the one an outlet lives through are not always the same. Two or three franchisees can tell you whether the till turns at lunchtime on a weekday, how often supplies arrive late and how head office behaves in a bad month. Those conversations say more than any figure in a brochure.

Divide monthly fixed costs, such as rent, staff, service charges and fixed fees, by the average contribution of one receipt. The result is how many receipts you need per month; divide by trading days to get a daily target. Then set that target against the realistic footfall at the site.

In a well-run franchise system, head office does not just approve a site; it assesses it with data. A head office that says yes to every address is a warning sign. Territory protection should be defined clearly in the contract, or a second outlet on the next street will split your revenue.

Mandatory supply can be needed for consistent taste and quality. But how prices are set, how often they change and who is responsible when deliveries run late should all be in writing. If supply prices can rise freely while menu prices stay fixed, the margin melts away quietly.

In café, restaurant and quick-service food, rent and staff costs are heavy and competition is tight. When choosing a brand in this category, look separately at menu cost and rent as a share of revenue. Pick wrong and customers may still come through the door, but the till will not save the month.

Standing out at an expo is not about the size of the stand; it is about giving written answers to investor questions. If outlet count, closed outlets and average payback time are shared openly, a serious investor and a curious visitor separate in the first meeting.

Every new outlet means regular orders for the supplier head office has signed. For a food producer that wants to supply chains, fairs are one channel, and we look at the producer side through the question of booking a stand at WorldFood İstanbul.

Each outlet’s rating, review count and the complaints in those reviews show whether head office can hold its standard. If the same complaint repeats across cities, the problem lies in the system, not the outlet. Head office should also say plainly who manages outlet profiles.

In a category where delivery takes a large share, platform commission is a cost line as weighty as rent. We work through the maths of joining a commission-based channel in the n11 zero-commission offer. The franchisor’s platform deals and any duty to join campaigns should be visible in the contract.

In many systems, outlets pay a share of revenue into a shared marketing fund. Seeing which channels and which regions that money goes to should be the investor’s right. Who runs local advertising, the outlet or head office, should be settled from the start.

A sample franchise agreement, the supply price list, an opening cost breakdown and the current outlet list. A brand that avoids sharing documents has already given an answer.

Term, territory protection, mandatory supply, royalties, transfer and exit terms. Have a lawyer read the franchise agreement before signing. Verify with the official source; this is not legal or financial advice.

According to the expo’s official portal, the 24th Be My Franchise expo ran on 15-18 October 2026 at the Yenikapı Eurasia Exhibition Centre in Istanbul.

Yes. Franchisees describe real till performance, supply delays and how head office behaves in hard times far better than a brochure does.

Divide monthly fixed costs by the average contribution of one receipt. The result shows how many receipts are needed per month; compare that with the site’s realistic footfall.