Featured Franchise: Kitchen Tune-Up Phoenix, AZ - Mathews

This week's feature takes us to the Grand Canyon State.  Garth and Rhonda Mathews joined our franchise family back in 2016, and Rhonda came out of retirement to start a new business adventure with her husband. Their team is based in Litchfield Park, and they transform kitchens across the Phoenix metro area focusing on Surprise, Sun City, Sun City West, Peoria, El Mirage, Youngtown, Litchfield Park, Glendale, Avondale, Goodyear, Buckeye, Tolleson, Laveen, and Phoenix. Thanks again to Rhonda for the interview!

Click here to see a video of some of their projects.

What was your career before becoming a Tunie?
Senior engineering technician at a major U.S. nuclear power plant. My work was focused on large capital plant improvement projects.

What is your favorite part of owning your own business?
Flexibility. Finding our own work/life balance, ability to choose the team I work with, the challenge, and the pride of building something of our own. Taking the risk and reaping the rewards

What comes to mind as your most memorable kitchen update? 
We were new Tunies and our second job ever was a Tune-Up. In the end, when the homeowner saw the results, she clasped her hand over her mouth, got tears in her eyes, and exclaimed, “It’s sooooo beautiful!!!!”  We celebrated her joy! We were hooked on helping people love their kitchen again.

Any advice for someone thinking about making the leap and buying their own franchise?
Don’t make any business decisions until you’ve had the training, follow the model the franchisor provides - IT WORKS!! If you ever, ever, ever, ever have a question don’t hesitate to call the home office.

When you’re not working, what is your favorite hobby or pastime? 
Family time with our grandkids, camping, sitting on a beach, binge-watching Netflix shows, hunting, and fishing.

What’s something unique about your area? 
We have the Grand Canyon, London Bridge at Lake Havasu, Sedona and Jerome, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Zoo, Wildlife Zoo, Desert Botanical Gardens, Litchfield Arts in the Park Festival, Tombstone, Arizona Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Suns & Coyotes, lots of great steaks, Mexican, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants. We love our area!

We switch up our National Reunion location each year.  What has been your favorite city to visit or most memorable Reunion so far?
Aberdeen – it was so fun to come back to South Dakota.

Do you have a favorite cabinet door style?
My favorite is our Benton door in cherry.

What was the biggest motivator to WHY you bought your own franchise?
We wanted to be in control of our own destiny. To run a business that modeled our beliefs. To make our own decisions about how best to operate day-to-day operations, while creating a culture and an organization that we could be proud of.

Before we purchased our Kitchen Tune-Up business in 2016, we had recently remodeled our kitchen and had such a positive experience.  I decided to come out of retirement and help my husband, Garth, with our new business. While I was at it, I also designed and remodeled a new utility room - now I LOVE doing laundry! In my current role, I now get to help homeowners across Phoenix experience the satisfaction of having a beautiful and useful kitchen with every detail exactly the way they want it. For example Door style, appliance placement, finishes, countertops, drawers, etc.

What have you found to be the biggest benefit to franchise ownership?  
We always say that buying a franchise is like buying a business with training wheels. We have the power of the franchisor’s brand, established advertising programs, opening and operating experience, reputation, and daily support.