Fred DeLuca

Low-cost franchises at scale. DeLuca opened a sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1965 with a $1,000 loan from family friend Peter Buck, and Subway grew by selling cheap franchises that needed no cooking equipment, often using development agents who recruited franchisees for a cut. It became the world's largest restaurant chain by outlet count, but crowded franchisees so closely that many complained of cannibalised sales. He died in 2015.