Won Life Brands

What Won Life Brands does

Won Life Brands is a privately-held multi-brand franchise holding company headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, founded in 2022 as the parent entity for a portfolio of consumer brands. The company's flagship asset is Famous Toastery, a breakfast/brunch/lunch franchise co-founded in 2005 by Robert Maynard and Brian Burchill in Huntersville, NC, which evolved into a franchise system in 2013 and today operates 25+ units across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The broader portfolio includes Big Burger Spot (gourmet burgers, majority-acquired in 2023), Fontana Di Vino (Italian full-service concept launched in 2025 with Chef Scott Leibfried), Abby's Better (nut butter CPG brand), VaVia, Cartridge World (printing supplies), and Flour Power (cooking studios) — six brands with stated system-wide sales of $70M+ across 600+ franchise locations.

The company earns revenue primarily through franchise fees and royalties from franchisees, supplemented by sales from company-owned restaurant operations (notably Fontana Di Vino and majority-owned Big Burger Spot) and franchise development activity. Its go-to-market is a franchise opportunity model marketed to individual entrepreneurs, with a stated "people-first" philosophy, one-shift Famous Toastery operating model, comprehensive training programs, integrated technology (POS, inventory, CRM, loyalty), and an active sports marketing platform anchored by the ESPN-broadcast Famous Toastery Bowl (since Dec 2023) and a NASCAR partnership with Michael McDowell through 2025. Geographic focus is the U.S. Southeast with active expansion into Arizona, Northern Virginia, Florida, and Texas.

The underlying technology stack is standard franchise operations tooling — POS, inventory, sales tracking, CRM, and a mobile app for to-go ordering — with third-party delivery contributing ~15% of Famous Toastery revenue. There is no evidence of proprietary AI/ML capability, patents, or differentiated data assets in the public material. Operating geographies span NC, SC, VA, with AZ and TX launches underway; international operations are not claimed. The company is privately held with no institutional or VC funding identified; ownership is concentrated with founder/chairman Robert Maynard, and Mike Sebazco serves as President of Famous Toastery.

Name

Won Life Brands

Legal name

Won Life Brands

Website

https://wonlifebrands.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Won Life Brands is a privately-held Davidson, NC franchise holding company operating six restaurant and consumer brands — led by Famous Toastery (25+ breakfast/brunch/lunch units) — across 600+ locations generating $70M+ in system-wide sales, monetized via franchise fees, royalties, and company-operated restaurants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Davidson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Won Life Brands generates revenue through franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchisees across its multiple restaurant brands including Famous Toastery, Big Burger Spot, and others
2. Company-Owned Restaurant Operations: Revenue from company-owned and operated restaurant locations
3. Franchise Development: Revenue from selling new franchise opportunities and expanding into new markets

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Won Life Brands is a premier franchise growth and development company that owns and operates a portfolio of six restaurant and consumer brands, including Famous Toastery, Big Burger Spot, and Fontana Di Vino. The company sells franchise opportunities to entrepreneurs and provides comprehensive franchisee support including training programs covering operational excellence, customer service, and business management, plus marketing support, operational guidelines, and integrated technology systems.

Product overview

Won Life Brands is a premier franchise growth and development company operating a portfolio of restaurant and consumer brands. The portfolio includes Famous Toastery (breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise), Big Burger Spot (gourmet burger chain), Fontana Di Vino (Italian restaurant), Abby's Better (nut butter brand), VaVia (franchise brand), Cartridge World, and Flour Power. The company provides franchisees comprehensive support including training, marketing, operational guidelines, and technology systems. Famous Toastery is the flagship brand with 25+ locations across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and expanding nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Famous Toastery: Better breakfast, brunch, and lunch franchise with Famously Fresh simple-scratch menu, over 25 locations across NC, SC, and VA
• Big Burger Spot
• Fontana Di Vino
• Abby's Better
• VaVia
• Cartridge World
• Flour Power

Products and services

• Famous Toastery Famous Toastery is a breakfast, brunch, and lunch franchise chain featuring a Famously Fresh simple-scratch menu served in a one-shift business model designed for franchisee work-life balance. The brand targets entrepreneurs seeking a casual dining franchise opportunity with comprehensive corporate training, marketing, and operational support.
• Big Burger Spot Big Burger Spot is a gourmet burger restaurant chain featuring made-from-scratch items including pimento cheese, veggie burgers, chili, and dressings served on toasted brioche buns with three size options. The chain currently has 3 locations with plans to expand to 35 across the Carolinas.
• Fontana Di Vino Fontana Di Vino is an Italian restaurant concept offering interactive tableside dining experiences, fresh house-made pasta, Roman-style pinsa, prime steaks, and a mozzarella bar. The brand operates company-owned locations in SouthPark and Davidson, NC.
• Abby's Better Abby's Better is a nut butter brand offering better-for-you nut butter products distributed under the Won Life Brands portfolio.
• VaVia VaVia is a franchise brand under the Won Life Brands portfolio offered as part of the company's franchise opportunity suite.
• Cartridge World Cartridge World is a franchise brand under the Won Life Brands portfolio offering cartridge and printing supplies and services to consumers and businesses.
• Flour Power Flour Power is a cooking studio franchise brand under the Won Life Brands portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 750+ team members across organization
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ESPN Events / Famous Toastery BowlcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2023Title sponsorship of college football bowl game played at UNC Charlotte's Jerry Richardson Stadium. The inaugural Famous Toastery Bowl featured Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion, generating national TV exposure and brand awareness through ESPN broadcast reaching millions of viewers.
• Michael McDowell / Front Row MotorsportscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2023NASCAR Cup Series driver partnership with personal services agreement supporting brand awareness and franchise development. Partnership extended through 2025, with McDowell participating in bowl game events and helping expand brand recognition nationally. McDowell, a 2021 Daytona 500 winner, represents the underdog brand story aligning with Won Life Brands' values.
• Boone Chamber of Commerce FoundationminorOthersHurricane Helene relief efforts partnership supporting local community recovery in the brand's home market region
• Feeding the CarolinasminorOthersPartnership in the fight against food insecurity through fundraising campaigns and volunteer efforts by franchise team members
• Levine Children's Hospital / iHeart MediaminorOthersRadiothon partnership leveraging radio power to raise funds and awareness for the hospital's vital services
• Local Charities (Various)minorOthersPercentage of sales donation partnerships on designated donation days; marketing material creation and promotion assistance for charity partners; Little League team sponsorships

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Inspire Brands: Multi-brand restaurant platform (Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Dunkin', Jimmy John's, Baskin-Robbins) — the scaled peer business model for what Won Life Brands is attempting to build, though at $30B+ revenue scale.
• FAT Brands: Multi-brand restaurant franchisor (Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, Twin Peaks, Fazoli's, ~15 other brands) — operates the same multi-brand franchise acquisition and development playbook at scale, with publicly validated unit economics.
• Flynn Restaurant Group: Largest franchise operator in the US (Taco Bell, Applebee's, Arby's, Panera, Wendy's) — comparable as a multi-brand franchise portfolio operator at a much larger scale, with similar infrastructure leverage across concepts.
• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store: Public breakfast/lunch family restaurant operator with a strong community/philanthropy brand identity — comparable to Famous Toastery on daypart mix, suburban footprint, and family/community positioning.

Direct peers

• Another Broken Egg Cafe: Multi-unit breakfast/brunch franchise with a similar daytime-only operating model, comparable AUVs, and a similar franchisee support story — directly overlap with Famous Toastery's primary offering.
• First Watch Restaurant Group: Public breakfast/brunch/lunch daytime cafe operator with hundreds of units — directly comparable to Famous Toastery on daypart, menu, and customer demographic, though at materially larger scale.
• Big Boy Restaurants: Legacy diner franchise brand with company-owned and franchised locations — comparable as a multi-brand breakfast/diner-style franchise operator with a long-established demographic and franchise structure.
• Fransmart: Franchise incubator and brand development platform that helped scale Five Guys and Qdoba — comparable as a franchise development partner and brand-portfolio builder, with similar relationships to multi-unit franchisees.
• Famous Toastery (standalone franchise system): Though wholly owned by Won Life Brands, Famous Toastery as a standalone franchise system is the closest direct comparable — a breakfast/brunch/lunch franchise with similar unit economics, footprint, and target franchisee profile.

Regional players

• Bojangles' Restaurants: Regional breakfast-focused franchise system headquartered in the Carolinas with strong Southeast concentration — directly comparable to Famous Toastery on geography, daypart focus, and franchisee profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/fontanadivino
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/won-life-brands

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Won Life Brands