Franchisee Spotlight: Louis Tansil, owner of Lenny's in Collierville

Each week, Lenny's will highlight a franchisee. This week, Louis Tansil, is our spotlight franchisee.

Franchisee Since: 2003
Franchise Locations: Collierville, TN

How Louis Tansil Got Started With Lenny’s…

Louis Tansil has a myriad of experience in the restaurant industry, stemming from his first job bussing tables at Ruby Tuesday. There, he worked his way up the food chain to waiting tables then to a corporate trainer and eventually he landed the position of Regional Director for Ruby Tuesday.

The desire however to be in business for himself never left his mind and after many years of learning the restaurant industry at Ruby Tuesday, he decided it was time that he venture off for himself. Louis spent six months checking into different franchise concepts, but it was his friends from Ruby Tuesday that ultimately had the greatest influence on his decision. One of his colleagues at Ruby Tuesday had joined the Lenny’s Sub Shop team and also Len Moore, Founder of Lenny’s, was the Director of Operations at Ruby Tuesday when Louis was there as well.

He bought the Collierville Lenny’s location from Len Moore in 2003 and four years after that he bought another two locations in Kansas City with his sister, Lynn Hiller.

What Intrigued Louis Tansil about Lenny’s…

When Louis tried the Lenny’s food, he was hooked, calling it “second to none” in the quick service sandwich category. Beyond the food being of high quality and fresh to order, Lenny’s took the next step to incorporate the guest experience into the mix, and trains each employee on the “Lenny’s experience,” so that every guest is treated with top notch customer service.

Something Interesting About Louis Tansil’s Story…

Louis desires to open another Lenny’s Sub Shop in Collierville when the time is right. Locally, Louis supports the high school through their theatre and athletics programs.

Where Specifically Did Louis Tansil Learn about Lenny’s?

Louis learned about Lenny’s from his friend, Brian Raspberry, who worked with him at Ruby Tuesday. He also knew Len Moore from his time at Ruby Tuesday and it was through these two people that Louis became familiar with Lenny’s.