Sticky Fingers Cooking is ecstatic to welcome Chris Johnson of Princeton, New Jersey, as a franchise owner to the brand! 

“When this opportunity came up, it seemed like a good middle ground between working in a corporation or trying to start something from scratch,” Chris says. 

Erin Fletter, CEO and founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking, expressed her enthusiasm for Chris and his new franchise business ownership: "From the moment we spoke, I knew Chris was ready to channel his years of business experience into something deeply meaningful. As he steps into business ownership, he’s not just building a legacy for his family—he's set to make a lasting impact on his community, driven by his passion and expertise. I couldn't be more excited for his journey ahead!"

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A Dream of Teaching Someday Coming True

Chris Johnson, 43, describes himself as a “New Englander through and through” who grew up in Massachusetts. He has fond memories of cooking and baking with a favorite aunt, apple picking in the fall, and how food was a central part of his upbringing. 

Once he left home, he lived and worked around the state of New York and decided on his life’s path—which didn’t reflect any of his earliest passions. 

“I had actually planned to become a high school history teacher back in 2007,” he says. “I was accepted to a program at Boston University but for financial reasons had to back out.”

His career took him into the legal tech support industry and then Educational Testing Service where he made his way up the corporate ladder and became a Senior Director overseeing three departments managing technology platforms. When COVID changed how people like Chris spent their days commuting and being in the office, he rediscovered the joys of cooking at home with his family—his wife, Margaret, and their daughter, Ellie, now 11. 

“I started doing more exploratory cooking,” he explains. “My daughter and I do Saturday pancakes together and she loves it.”

As the corporate environment around him evolved, Chris rekindled an old dream of being a business owner. After deep reflection and consideration of the next phase of his life and career, he became more serious about his next role. 

“I’m an amateur photographer and I decided to set up a website to monetize some of my digital prints,” Chris says. “I quickly realized I did not know enough to do this successfully.”

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Learning About an Education Franchise Business

When Chris and Margaret’s daughter was young, she attended the Goddard School, which is a franchise business. “I got to know the owner there and looked into franchising,” Chris says. “I’ve been interested in having my own company for at least 10 years and I was never sure which industry.”

He reached out to a franchise consultant who steered him towards businesses that did not appeal to him. During a Google search of his own, Chris came across the IFA (International Franchise Association, of which Sticky Fingers Cooking is a proud member) and answered a few questions on their website about working with kids and if he liked education. 

“Sticky Fingers Cooking was the first thing that popped up and as soon as I looked at the profile, it spoke to me immediately,” he says, noting this was on July 3. “I set up the initial consultation for the following Monday, then Julie reached out and said she was available to talk sooner and we were off to the races!”

Julie Scher, Director of Franchise Development at Sticky Fingers Cooking, was happy to talk to Chris as soon as she saw his inquiry note through the website. “I could tell that Chris was serious about making this change in his life,” she says. “His interest in working with kids was so clear and that is one of the qualities we look for in our franchise owners.”

By August, Chris was in Denver to train as a franchise owner for Sticky Fingers Cooking. 

“When this opportunity came up, I looked at it much more seriously and it seemed like a good model to work with a proven model with a support system to help manage the business and a framework to build relationships,” he says. “I’ve always enjoyed working with kids more than adults.”

The time spent in training also validated what Chris calls his “hunch” that “a lot of businesses fail because of death by a thousand paper cuts as there are so many possible pitfalls that you could just get tied up and not be able to run your business. Starting from scratch on your own is really, really hard.”

Furthermore, this self-proclaimed “tech nerd” came away “very impressed with the system and process that Sticky Fingers Cooking has built.” Learn more about the proprietary Dash system in this article. 

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What’s Next for Sticky Fingers Cooking in Central New Jersey

Franchising is based on territories with sufficient potential customers in a specific area/territory to be viable. Chris points out that, “New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country with public and private schools, and it’s a pretty affluent area that is also just very culturally diverse, with a pretty strong emphasis on after school enrichment.”

His new business will open in the fall of 2024.

“Everybody I spoke with at headquarters has been genuine, warm, enthusiastic, and welcoming,” he says. “That really put me at ease and established trust pretty quickly.”

Chris says the networking was also helpful as he took on this new opportunity. “I appreciate being put in touch with existing franchisees who are transparent about their experiences in their own territories.”

He adds, “Everybody seems as interested in me as I am in them and that continued all the way through training.”

Even Ellie, the rising 6^th grader, is showing interest in her Dad’s new business already. 

“We have all these nice pictures from when she was on a little stepstool just watching me scoop the pancake batter to now she’s able to flip her own pancakes,” the proud father says. 

For now the two plan to explore the Sticky Fingers Cooking cookbooks and find a new favorite recipe together. 

Maybe you can relate to Chris’s professional journey? We hope you will reach out so we can get to know you through our Inquire page.