When does a family run business become a chain?

[Moovart]

..... thinking about the discussion about Chango.  Their "About us" blurb on the website says started by one Argentina guy.  So if one person has a successful business and goes on to open a number of shops when do they go from a supported successful "family" business to a less liked "chain"?  

[Sue]

5 hours ago, Moovart said:

..... thinking about the discussion about Chango.  Their "About us" blurb on the website says started by one Argentina guy.  So if one person has a successful business and goes on to open a number of shops when do they go from a supported successful "family" business to a less liked "chain"?  

Fair enough point, but does that not in a way make it even worse if they open a shop almost directly  opposite another "family" business selling exactly the same type of products?

Chango have nine other shops, according to their website, in places like Mayfair, Highgate and Richmond.

I suppose East Dulwich should be honoured to be included 🙄

Presumably all chains, however large now, originally started off on a very small scale with just one or a few people.

Like M&S and Sainsbury's , if memory serves.

Edited 9 hours ago by Sue

[Sephiroth]

In restaurant terms I would say a chain manifests when the motivation is no longer “we are a couple/small group who have an idea and love food” who open a restaurant, them another and then a few more BUT THEN PIVOT to “we need capital to rollout out new restaurants so we have leveraged the help of the following investors” 

that is the moment it stops being about the chef/food on the plate and becomes about the spreadsheet 

so it is POSSIBLE  for a restaurant to have 50 branches and not be a chain - but I can’t think of any 

I don’t know chango - by based on the number of outlets they appear to have just crossed/or are about to cross that line