Anyone in the restaurant business will tell you that it's not only a lot of hard work, but that it's very competitive, as well. So when you're still in business 25 years later, you can feel pretty good. Mike Switzer interviews Marguerite Carlise and Cathy Wilson, sisters and co-owners of the Original Pancake Housefranchise in Columbia, SC and two in Charlotte, NC.
After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.