Rancho Santa Margarita's Dessert In the Desert

A dessert in the desert? That's the game plan for Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt. The Rancho Santa Margarita-based company recently expanded into one of the hottest spots on the planet—literally and figuratively: Qatar.

RSM resident Roger Clawson, the Golden Spoon CEO, boarded a plane Friday for Qatar to conclude the final week of training for the new Qatari franchise owner, M.H. Al Mana Group, which already has three stores open in the capital city Doha and five more scheduled to open by the end of summer.

“Signing the agreement to enter the Qatar market demonstrates our commitment to make Golden Spoon a leading global brand,” Clawson said. “Our successful launch into Japan and the Philippines helped validate Golden Spoon's international expansion into the Middle East Region.”

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Clawson said he plans to continue the health-conscious frozen yogurt brand's worldwide expansion by signing master franchise agreements in the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait within the next 12 months. Golden Spoon also has its sights on key markets in Asia such as China, India and Vietnam.

In January, Qatari general manager Faissal Shalaby flew to Orange County for a two-week training headed by Reed Barnes, Golden Spoon's corporate director of training.

Barnes starts franchise training, even with international managers, right in the stores, which means that Orange County stores, and the customers who visit, are playing a role in the company's international game plan. The local store in Rancho Santa Margarita is located at 21702 Plano Trabuco Road.

“Only 30-40% of our training is in the corporate classroom and the rest of the time is spent in the store," Barnes said. "We feel like the store is the only place new franchise owners can see how to swirl yogurt, serve customers a premium product, and keep our commitment to cleanliness.”