The Cheesecake Shop Bundaberg owners Glenda and Tom Dunphy are the cream of the crop among 240 stores in Australia after being named Franchisee of the Year.
The couple are celebrating after winning the prize for best franchise in Australia and New Zealand.
To win the prestigious award, Glenda said 14 strict criteria had to be met including quality assurance, increased customer service numbers and more.
She said she was over the moon to receive the award and thanked everyone who had helped along the way.
“It was totally unexpected,” she said.
“You can't win this award by yourself, it's a team effort between our staff and the whole community.”
Glenda said she had been operating The Cheesecake Shop Bundaberg on and off over the years and had recently come back after taking a break to focus on other business.
“I originally started with The Cheesecake Shop in 2011, then I sold it to focus on other things,” she said.
“I have only been back for the past 18 months so to receive an award of this calibre during the short time has been amazing.”
Glenda said she loved working with her nine staff at the shop and enjoyed all of the positive interactions with customers.
“All of our customers come in because they are celebrating something so it is a really lovely atmosphere,” she said.
When it comes to her favourite cake in store, Glenda said she couldn't go past the Mississippi Baked Cheesecake.
“It's delicious and has a little bit of everything, like chocolate, vanilla and more,” she said.
“Lots of people don't realise this but we bake and decorate absolutely everything in store so each cake you buy is created by local people, for local people.”
Mayor Jack Dempsey paid a visit to Glenda at The Cheesecake Shop to congratulate her and the team on their success.
“What a fantastic achievement,” Mayor Dempsey said.
“The Cheesecake Shop is a pit-stop for many residents during times of celebration and now it is our time to celebrate with you!
“Congratulations to Glenda, Tom and the whole team.”
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