The Founder’s Journey: From Student Hustle to Franchise Visionary
Michael Sutton
Grill Hero, a professional grill and oven cleaning franchise, was born from the entrepreneurial spirit of Michael Sutton, its founder and president. The journey began in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) when Sutton, then a first-year university student at the University of Guelph, started knocking on doors to offer grill cleaning services as a summer job. What started as a side hustle to fund his studies quickly grew into a thriving business. Sutton continued to scale the operation by hiring fellow students, refining the service model while pursuing his business degree. After graduating, he took the leap to run the business full-time, leveraging the momentum built during his university years.
The COVID-19 pandemic, while challenging for many, proved to be a boom for Grill Hero, then known as Canadian BBQ Boys. As homeowners cooked more at home, demand for professional grill cleaning soared, and the company was deemed an essential service, allowing uninterrupted operations. This period of growth set the stage for the next big step: franchising. In 2022, Sutton rebranded the company as Grill Hero and launched its franchise system, a move that has since propelled the brand to ten locations—nine in Canada (Toronto Halton, Peel Region, Barrie, London, Vancouver, Ottawa, Guelph/Kitchener/Waterloo and Niagara) and a newly launched franchise in the United States (Palm Beach County) as of April 2025.
Sutton’s journey is marked by a deliberate, patient approach. He spent six years building a robust corporate operation before venturing into franchising, ensuring the business model was rock-solid. Now based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Sutton runs Grill Hero remotely, focusing on his role as a visionary leader while a seasoned team, including a COO with 30 years of experience, handles day-to-day operations. His story is one of persistence, strategic growth, and a passion for empowering others through entrepreneurship.
Why Grill Hero is Successful?
Grill Hero’s success stems from a combination of a niche market, a refined business model, and a commitment to excellence. Operating in the home services industry, Grill Hero fills a unique gap: professional grill and oven cleaning. With 86% of American households and over 75% of Canadian households owning grills, the market potential is vast, yet competition remains minimal. Sutton notes, “There isn’t any other big dominant player,” giving Grill Hero a first-mover advantage in a largely untapped market.
The company’s business model is a key driver of its success. Grill Hero franchises are low-investment opportunities with minimal overhead, quick startup times, and large exclusive territories (50,000 households with annual incomes over $100,000). Franchisees benefit from comprehensive support, including a call center for booking, marketing expertise, and ongoing coaching. The addition of oven cleaning services has further reduced seasonality, ensuring year-round revenue—a strategy that proved successful when tested with corporate operations and rolled out to franchisees.
Sutton’s meticulous approach to franchising has also been critical. Rather than rushing to scale, Grill Hero took a measured path, starting with an internal manager as the first franchisee to test and refine systems. The company limited early growth to just three additional franchises in the second year, allowing time to perfect operations manuals, training programs, and support structures. This patience has resulted in a franchise system Sutton describes as “dialed in,” resembling that of a mature brand despite Grill Hero’s status as an emerging one.
The company’s HERO values—Honesty, Empathy, Reliability, and Openness—guide its operations and culture. These values are embedded in franchisee vetting, employee training, and even a monthly HERO award program that celebrates adherence to the ethos. By maintaining a strong corporate operation alongside franchising, Grill Hero avoids the pressure to oversell franchises, ensuring sustainable growth and a focus on quality.
Franchising Challenges: Finding the Right Fit
Franchising, while a powerful growth strategy, has not been without challenges for Grill Hero. One of the biggest hurdles, according to Sutton, is identifying franchisees who align with the company’s vision and values. Early on, he received advice to “know who to say no to,” a lesson that has shaped Grill Hero’s selective approach. Saying no to misaligned candidates, even when eager to grow, was difficult but necessary. Sutton reflects, “If they don’t fit all these specific areas, it makes it a lot harder to support them properly.”
To address this, Grill Hero has refined its franchisee vetting process over time, becoming stricter about cultural and operational fit. The company looks for franchisees with leadership skills, a strong work ethic, and an owner-manager mindset, focusing on team management, marketing, and business growth rather than performing cleaning tasks themselves. This selective approach, combined with a robust support system, ensures franchisees are set up for success but requires significant time and effort to maintain.
Another challenge was building a franchise system from scratch. Sutton leaned on experienced consultants from successful franchisors like 1-800-GOT-JUNK and O2E Brands to develop a roadmap. Their guidance, paired with Grill Hero’s internal expertise, helped navigate the complexities of creating operations manuals, fee structures, and training programs. By testing these systems with the first franchisee for a full year before expanding further, Grill Hero mitigated early risks and built a foundation for scalable growth.
How Spadea Law Firm Helped
Spadea Lignana Franchise Attorneys played a pivotal role in Grill Hero’s franchising journey, particularly in its expansion into the U.S. market. Sutton praises Spadea’s “startup package,” which provided comprehensive legal support tailored to an emerging franchisor. This package covered everything from drafting Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) to state registrations, enabling Grill Hero to launch its first U.S. franchise in April 2025. Spadea’s flexibility and proactive support were instrumental in navigating the complex legal landscape of international expansion.
“They constantly went out of their way to be as supportive as possible,” Sutton says, highlighting Spadea’s role in helping Grill Hero achieve this milestone. Now on Spadea’s monthly CORE plan, which offers comprehensive legal solutions for a flat fee, Grill Hero benefits from ongoing support that Sutton describes as providing “so much value.” Spadea’s relationship-driven approach, focusing on long-term partnerships with small franchisors, aligns with Sutton’s preference for vendors who believe in Grill Hero’s vision and are willing to grow together.
Launching the U.S. franchise is a process that took almost a year of careful planning and preparation. The first franchisee is already seeing early success, marking a major milestone in the brand’s growth.
Looking Ahead: A Vision for Growth and Impact
Grill Hero’s future is ambitious yet grounded. Sutton aims to reach $100 million in system-wide revenue within five to seven years, with over 100 locations across Canada and the US. The ultimate goal is to make Grill Hero the household name for grill cleaning and repair, akin to 1-800-GOT-JUNK in junk removal. Franchising is the key to this rapid scalability, allowing Grill Hero to leverage the capital, skills, and local expertise of franchisees to establish a dominant brand presence.
Beyond growth, Grill Hero is committed to giving back. The company supports young entrepreneurs through involvement in the Junior Achiever program and partnerships with incubators and entrepreneurial programs, including those at the University of Guelph. Sutton’s passion for empowering others extends to franchising, where he finds fulfillment in helping franchisees realize their entrepreneurial dreams with a proven roadmap and robust support.
Conclusion
Grill Hero’s rise from a student’s summer gig to a burgeoning franchise system is a testament to Michael Sutton’s vision, patience, and strategic acumen. By capitalizing on a niche market, building a refined franchise model, and partnering with trusted advisors like Spadea Lignana, Grill Hero is poised to become North America’s go-to name for grill cleaning. Despite challenges in finding the right franchisees, the company’s commitment to its HERO values and deliberate growth strategy ensures a strong foundation for future success. As Grill Hero grills its way to new heights, it’s clear that Sutton’s journey is just heating up.
