Screnci Sparks Revival at Mrs. Fields and TCBY

Rich Screnci has taken the helm at Famous Brands International with a clear brief, stop the slide and set Mrs. Fields and TCBY back on a growth path. The task is not abstract. Mrs. Fields closed 15 U.S. shops in 2025, ending the year at 98, and TCBY lost 10 locations to finish at 115. The brands that once counted more than 3,500 global shops combined now total just over 275 worldwide. Screnci steps in as executive director under Pearl Street Equity, which acquired Famous Brands in October 2023, operating from the firm’s New York headquarters with a mandate to protect legacy while reigniting expansion at home and abroad.

His résumé fits the moment. Screnci spent nearly five years in operations leadership at Restaurant Brands International, overseeing Tim Hortons U.S. restaurants, and earlier managed brand standards for Burger King across the U.S. and Canada. The emotional pull of these dessert staples is part of the plan. Working with “two brands that people have grown up with, that they cherish, was just too good of an opportunity to pass up,” he said, nodding to Mrs. Fields, founded in 1977, and TCBY, introduced in 1981. The thesis blends nostalgia with modern convenience, think chocolate chip cookies delivered at birthdays or frozen yogurt after Little League games, then layer in refreshed product offerings, omnichannel ease and closer franchise partnerships.

The early work is ground-level. From his first week, Screnci committed to meeting franchisees face-to-face, logging weekly trips to shop locations across the U.S. and hosting dozens of roundtables in markets such as Orlando, Dallas and Boston. Operators walked him through staffing hurdles, local marketing patterns and supply chain pain points. Those sessions are already shaping a practical to-do list:

- Menu simplification
- Digital ordering enhancements
- Targeted site selection

Each item points to operational simplicity and processes that can scale without diluting what guests remember and crave.

Franchisees say they feel the shift. One multi-unit TCBY operator in Atlanta noted that early field visits “reinforced my belief that the new leadership team is serious about growth and willing to invest in both marketing support and localized product development.” At the ownership level, Pearl Street Equity’s president, Joe Lewis, set the tone during the acquisition. “We are thrilled about this new chapter for Famous Brands Franchising as a standalone company and are confident Pearl Street is the ideal strategic partner for the future,” he said. Alignment from private equity to the front counter raises the stakes, since it sets expectations that enthusiasm will translate into capital, marketing muscle and, eventually, more doors.

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The broader picture is mixed, which makes disciplined execution crucial. The National Restaurant Association projects U.S. restaurant and foodservice sales will reach $1.55 trillion in 2026, with operators adding more than 100,000 jobs despite ongoing cost pressures. Many brands are still closing units, and Subway lost 729 U.S. franchises in 2025 alone. Frozen yogurt carries a pocket of tailwind, with the global market expected to grow from $2.84 billion in 2025 to $4.24 billion by 2031, a compound annual growth rate of 6.9 percent, fueled by specialty-store and online channels. Mrs. Fields and TCBY sit at the intersection of durable affection and a cautious expansion climate, which favors brands that can hold onto recipe heritage while trimming friction from the guest experience.

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Open questions remain. The scale of investment in digital platforms, and how that spend will affect customer acquisition costs, is still being defined. Early franchise interest needs to become signed development commitments, and macro factors from supply chain snags to tight labor and more off-premises consumption could shape the arc. Pearl Street’s timeline calls for early progress by mid-2027, with a focus on:

- Unit counts
- Same-store sales
- Franchise pipeline health

That scoreboard gives operators and owners a way to judge whether the blend of heritage and simplicity is doing its job.

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Screnci’s approach, weekly fieldwork paired with a respect for recipes that guests associate with milestones, sets a pragmatic course for two classics. If menu clarity, smarter digital ordering and sharper site selection show up in the numbers by mid-2027, Mrs. Fields and TCBY could reclaim ground while offering a useful blueprint for other legacy brands under similar pressure.