J. Willard Marriott

One of the First Franchisors

J. Willard Marriott was born on a Utah farm in 1900, and spent his days as a child helping his family by raising sheep, sugar beets, and lettuce. At the age of 19, Marriott went on a two-year religious mission to New England and as he stopped through Washington, D.C, he observed tourists buying out beverages from street vendors. This inspired him to purchase root-beer franchises, securing the rights to A&W Root Beer in three locations on the East Coast. While operating franchises, Marriott placed a great emphasis on treating workers like family.

“In establishing the culture of the company, there was a lot of attention and tender loving care paid to the hourly workers. When they were sick, he went to see them. When they were in trouble, he got them out of trouble. He created a family loyalty,” said Bill Marriott Jr., son of J. Willard Marriott and current CEO of Marriott International.

Eventually, Marriott moved to Washington to open up his own root beer stand. After adding Mexican food to the menu, the joint became known as The Hot Shoppe, which became a franchise. The food chain grew to around 75 locations in the mid-1960s. In all of his ventures, Marriott emphasized making his workers happy, which in turn would make the customers happy.