Executive Spotlight: Bob Fish, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of BIGGBY COFFEE (2027)
Bob Fish is the co-founder and co-CEO of BIGGBY COFFEE, a coffee franchise based in East Lansing, Michigan. The first BIGGBY cafe opened in East Lansing on March 15, 1995, and Fish later teamed up with Mike McFall, who is now his co-CEO, to turn the single shop into a franchise system.
Fish studied hospitality management at Michigan State University and came to coffee from the restaurant business. He has also led the company's push toward farm-direct coffee buying through One BIGG Island in Space, an effort BIGGBY says reached 50 percent farm-direct sourcing in August 2024 and aims for 100 percent by 2028. This page covers public professional information only, taken from pages read for this page.
Current role and company
BIGGBY's franchising site lists Fish as Co-Founder and Co-Visionary and says he and Mike McFall remain co-owners of the company. Trade press and company press releases call both men co-founders and co-CEOs. Store counts differ by source and date, so the table gives each figure with where it came from.
- CompanyBIGGBY COFFEE, a Michigan-based coffee franchise headquartered in East Lansing.
- TitleCo-Founder and Co-CEO; BIGGBY's franchising site uses "Co-Founder & Co-Visionary."
- Co-CEOMike McFall, co-founder and co-CEO.
- FootprintMore than 340 cafes, per Fish's 1851 Franchise profile (undated). Earlier counts: more than 230 cafes in December 2019 and more than 280 in January 2022.
- Board servicePer his 1851 Franchise profile, Fish has chaired the boards of the Small Business Association of Michigan and the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association.
Career path
- Education. BIGGBY's franchising site says Fish put himself through Michigan State University while working at a local pancake house, and his 1851 Franchise profile says he studied hospitality management there.
- 1993, restaurant ownership. The 1851 Franchise profile says he was a part-owner of a Flap Jack restaurant in Lansing before BIGGBY and later sold his stake.
- 1995, first BIGGBY cafe. BIGGBY opened its first store in East Lansing on March 15, 1995. Fish told 1851 Franchise that he and another partner opened the first cafe, and 1851 reports the location was a former Arby's.
- Partnership with Mike McFall. Fish says McFall joined as a barista a year after opening. BIGGBY's franchising site places the walk and handshake that made them partners in 1997. Sources differ on the exact year, so treat 1996 and 1997 as the range.
- Decision to franchise. A 2019 press release says the two decided to franchise in 1996 on a handshake and $4,000. A 1851 Franchise Q&A dates the decision to summer 1998, and Fish's 1851 profile says they have franchised since 1999. The dates vary by source.
- 2018, One BIGG Island in Space. BIGGBY's franchising site says Fish launched One BIGG Island in Space in 2018, with the goal of using BIGGBY's purchasing power to improve how coffee is bought and sold.
What Fish is known for
- Turning one cafe into a franchise system. In a 2022 interview, Fish said of growth: "We knew we wanted to grow the concept - there was no doubt about that." BIGGBY grew from a single East Lansing store to a chain with more than 340 cafes, per 1851 Franchise.
- Farm-direct coffee. BIGGBY's March 2025 anniversary release says the system reached 50 percent farm-direct sourcing for all coffee bought in August 2024, with a stated goal of 100 percent by 2028. The 2019 release on the Living Hope International partnership, which supports a coffee farm tied to an orphanage in Zambia, is an earlier example of the same approach.
- Public speaking and service. Fish and McFall were featured guests at TEDx Detroit on November 6, 2019, where they told the BIGGBY story. His board chair roles with the Small Business Association of Michigan and the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association are listed on his 1851 Franchise profile.
- Surviving economic cycles. In the March 2025 anniversary release, Fish said "Most businesses don't make it past five years," and noted BIGGBY has been through three economic cycles, a financial crisis and COVID.
Leadership style and philosophy
These are Fish's own words as quoted in trade press and company releases, with the year of each.
- On coaching (2022). "It allows you to be a coach, and we found that to be very rewarding." He added that "we just love teaching people."
- On community (2021). "We do believe that we are the center of every community that we're in."
- On love and business (2021). "One of our side missions is to make the word 'love' as ubiquitous in business as the word 'profit.'"
- On the supply chain (2019). "There are over two hundred labor hours invested in producing and processing a cup of coffee long before it gets to our lips."
- Stated personal goal. His 1851 Franchise profile says: "His goal is to change the lives of at least one million people in a positive, multi-generational way."
Key numbers
Figures are company-reported or from trade press, each with its period. They are not audited, and counts differ by source and date.
- March 15, 1995 (company-reported)First BIGGBY store opens in East Lansing, Michigan.
- December 2019 (company press release)More than 230 cafes, in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Florida.
- January 2022 (1851 Franchise)More than 280 units nationwide.
- Undated (1851 Franchise profile)More than 340 cafes.
- August 2024 (company-reported)50 percent farm-direct sourcing across the system; goal of 100 percent by 2028.
Questions people ask
Who is Bob Fish of BIGGBY COFFEE?
Bob Fish is a co-founder and co-CEO of BIGGBY COFFEE, the East Lansing, Michigan franchise that opened its first cafe on March 15, 1995. He runs the company alongside co-CEO Mike McFall.
How many BIGGBY COFFEE locations are there?
It depends on the source and date. A December 2019 release cited more than 230 cafes, 1851 Franchise reported more than 280 in January 2022, and Fish's 1851 Franchise profile cites more than 340.
When did BIGGBY start franchising?
Sources disagree. A 2019 company release says the founders decided to franchise in 1996, an 1851 Franchise Q&A dates the decision to summer 1998, and Fish's 1851 profile says they have franchised since 1999.
What is One BIGG Island in Space?
According to BIGGBY's franchising site, Fish launched it in 2018 to use BIGGBY's purchasing power to improve how coffee is bought and sold. BIGGBY says it reached 50 percent farm-direct sourcing in August 2024 and aims for 100 percent by 2028.
Who is BIGGBY's other co-CEO?
Mike McFall is co-founder and co-CEO alongside Fish. 1851 Franchise quotes Fish as saying McFall was hired as a barista a year after the first cafe opened.
Sources
- BIGGBY Franchising: Meet Our Co-Founders · Company bio: education, partnership with McFall, One BIGG Island in Space
- 1851 Franchise: Franchise Influencers: Bob Fish, Co-CEO, BIGGBY COFFEE · Profile: background, board service, 340+ cafes; source of the hero photo
- 1851 Franchise: Why I Franchised My Business: BIGGBY COFFEE Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Bob Fish and Mike McFall (Jan 18, 2022) · Founding story, franchising decision, Fish quotes, 280+ units
- 1851 Franchise: BIGGBY COFFEE Executive Q&A (Mar 19, 2021) · Timeline of first store and franchising, Fish quotes
- Franchising.com: BIGGBY COFFEE Co-CEO Bridging Gap Between Coffee And Coffee Farms (Dec 10, 2019) · Living Hope partnership, 230+ cafes, 1996 franchising decision
- Franchising.com: Celebrating 30 Years of BIGGBY COFFEE (Mar 25, 2025) · 30th anniversary, 50 percent farm-direct, 2028 goal, Fish quote
- Franchising.com: BIGGBY COFFEE Co-CEOs To Speak At TEDx Detroit (Nov 5, 2019) · TEDx Detroit appearance, November 6, 2019
Facts were read from the linked pages on November 1, 2026. Titles and counts are as of the dates shown and may have changed. The hero photo is the solo portrait on the 1851 Franchise profile headed Franchise Influencers: Bob Fish, Co-CEO, BIGGBY COFFEE, with his name printed on the graphic and in the image alt text. It is cropped to Fish alone and centered on a blurred card. Photo: 1851 Franchise (1851franchise.com). This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: 1851 Franchise (1851franchise.com)