Ken Bates, a multi-unit Eggs Up Grill franchisee based in Johnson City, Tennessee, has been named a 2026 Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association, one of 89 franchise owners recognized nationwide for excellence in entrepreneurship, community outreach and workforce development. Honorees, nominated by their parent brands, will be celebrated at a luncheon during the IFA26 Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., held September 14 through 16.
Bates brings 36 years of restaurant industry experience to the role, having previously owned multiple Little Caesars locations before joining Eggs Up Grill. Operating under Bates Family Restaurants LLC, he has built a multi-unit portfolio across the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee and Virginia. In September 2025, Bates and his son Ethan opened Eggs Up Grill's milestone 100th restaurant in Kingsport, Tennessee, a location that also debuted the brand's refreshed logo and next-generation prototype design featuring an updated kitchen layout built for efficiency.
Beyond his own locations, Bates has played a role in supporting newer franchisees entering the system, partnering with franchise owner Jason Heckendorf and fellow investor Lamar McCubbin on a second Eggs Up Grill location in Olive Branch, Mississippi. That kind of cross-franchisee mentorship, paired with consistently strong performance across his own restaurants, earned Bates an "Above and Beyond" award for extraordinary franchisee performance at the brand's own owner's conference earlier this year. In July 2026, he committed to developing five additional Eggs Up Grill restaurants, continuing his expansion within the brand.
IFA President and CEO Matt Haller said this year's Franchisee of the Year honorees represent individuals who have committed their careers to building something larger than themselves, crediting the group for creating jobs, supporting fellow franchisees and embodying the entrepreneurial spirit at the center of franchising. As multi-unit operators like Bates expand across several locations, keeping performance consistent from restaurant to restaurant becomes an increasingly important part of sustaining that growth. Gorilla Dash offers a Benchmarking feature designed to help franchise systems track and compare performance data across locations, supporting the kind of steady, multi-unit growth that helped earn Bates this recognition.
