BB-INT005 — Kenji Watanabe

Participant recruited through franchisee panel. Three months into his franchise, making him the newest franchisee in the study. Worked for seven years as a restaurant manager before purchasing the BorderBlend franchise — he has operational experience that new franchisees like Yuki Tanaka lack, but is new to this brand and to food truck operations... Three months in — you came from restaurant management. What's been different about food trucks? More than I expected, honestly. I thought food trucks would be simpler — smaller team, more contained operation. And it is in some ways. But the mobility aspect changes everything. You're not in one place. You're managing a moving venue. The permitting, the location strategy, the events circuit — none of that was part of my restaurant experience.