Feeding with love: Frisby’s quest for a successor to preserve its legacy in times of sudden change

Abstract

Frisby is a leading family firm operating in the Colombian fast-food industry. The high-quality and service orientation of its workers, the presentation and packaging of the food, and the motto “Nobody does it as Frisby does it” are differentiating elements of Frisby’s business legacy. In the face of recent shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of one of Frisby’s founders, the board of directors encounters the challenge of choosing a chief executive officer who can maintain the legacy that has been Frisby’s source of competitive advantage but pursues adaptation to the new conditions. By knowing the history of Frisby, students will learn the challenges of managing and preserving the organizational culture and founders’ legacy in a family firm during transgenerational succession. Therefore, the critical question to answer is who should be the new chief executive officer, continuing the legacy while navigating the post-COVID world?