Episodes
3 days ago
3 days ago
Chef Emeka Onugha’s passion for healthy food predated his meeting with real estate developer Adenah Bayoh when they launched Brick City Vegan in 2021. “From inception, our approach wasn’t to simply present an imitation of meat, but to create new flavors and textures in popular menu items,” says Emeka of his Montclair, New Jersey counter-service concept.
Montclair is proximate to Newark, which is known as the “Brick City” for its beautiful brickwork architecture. Emeka’s eponymous concept offers vegan burgers, bowls, sandwiches, and salads for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
“We have established our brand around the popularity of three creative offerings," says Emeka. “The “Black-Eyed Pea”, “Sweet Potato, and “Chickpea” burgers have become our signature items.”
Emeka’s expansion plans for Brick City Vegan include a second New Jersey location, a unit in Brooklyn NY, and the addition of a breakfast day part. In this episode, he discusses:
- Promoting a vegan menu to non-vegans.
- Managing margins with relatively expensive local organic ingredients.
- His strategy to bring the signature burger patties to retail.
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Episode 83: Kelli Ferrell with Nana's Chicken-N-Waffles
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Kelli Ferrell's dream of a small, limited-menu restaurant serving her favorite Southern dishes started with a vision board, a collage of images that represent and help manifest one’s goals. Eight years later, she purchased a shuttered burger restaurant in her neighborhood and created Nana's Chicken-N-Waffles. “I had no restaurant experience, but I was driven by my passion to serve people, my love for good food, and my marketing ability," says Kelli.
Nana's Chicken-N-Waffles became a popular Atlanta breakfast, brunch, and lunch concept. Kelli is active in the community, has authored a cookbook titled “Kooking with Kelli”, and has been featured on local television programs, including multiple appearances on the Food Network.
With two Atlanta locations. Kelli sets her sights on continued expansion and retail distribution of her concept’s signature waffle mix and syrups. In this episode, Kelli discusses:
- Building a brand.
- Active social media and community-based marketing.
- Why her best managers started as line employees.
- The growth opportunities of limited-menu concepts that require less square footage and fewer staff.
- How secondary markets and franchising figure into concept expansion.
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Episode 82: Seek Hannemann with Seven Brothers
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Tuesday Apr 09, 2024
Seek Hannemann is one of two brothers who assumed the operation of their parents' grill on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. One by one their other five brothers joined the business and Seven Brothers was created. The 2,400-square-foot counter service concept offers burgers with a Hawaiian flair, french fries, salads, and coconut macadamia shrimp.
The success of Seven Brothers led to additional locations in the Hawaiian Islands and expansion to the U.S. mainland. In this episode, Seek shares the story of Seven Brothers' creation and discusses:
- The decision to expand to the mainland.
- The challenges of maintaining a strong family business culture with multiple units.
- Why franchising became the concept’s expansion strategy and how it succeeded.
- How focusing on the customer and community-based marketing became the concept’s cornerstones of franchisee success.
- Why smaller units with drive-thru and delivery services are “What’s Next".
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Episode 81: Jason Sobocinski & EtkinTekin with Havens Hot Chicken
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Tuesday Mar 26, 2024
Co-founders Jason Sobocinski and Etkin Tekin opened the first Haven Hot Chicken in 2020 and have quickly grown to 8 locations throughout Connecticut. They created a unique blend of marination and pressure frying that provides their chicken with what they call a “Crispy Crust Adhesion," which is flavorful and prevents the crust from separating. These efficient 1200 to 1500-square-foot spaces offer very little dine-in seating and post 90 % of revenue from online order pick up, delivery, and walk-in takeaway.
Jason tells us "Where there is a mission based on passion and a vision that is inclusive, there is success. We win by serving high quality certified Halal chicken, engaging our team members in the business and actively supporting our community” In this episode, Jason and Etkin share their 7 core values referred to as the "Haven Way” as well as provide details on:
- Their “Service Physics" culture challenges everyone to view problems as opportunities for improvement
- The social media marketing success of Crispy, Crunchy, Juicy, Spicy and Delicious!
- Their “On the boat” training philosophy…everyone has an oar but must work together to move forward
- The expansion goal of 25 operating units throughout New England by the end of 2025
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Episode 80: Hannah McClain with Biscuit Belly
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Tuesday Mar 12, 2024
Hannah McClain is director of culinary and training for Louisville, KY-based Biscuit Belly, a fast-casual regional franchise in the U.S. South, Midwest, and Southeast. McClain has been promoting the company’s motto “Grab Life By The Biscuit!” since 2019. The rapidly expanding counter-service concept offers a wide variety of creative Southern-style biscuit meals such as the Boozy Bird, Biscuit Beenie, Belly Board, and the Love Shack.
"I just knew cooking would be my future,” says McClain, adding, “I started cooking with my uncles and grandmother as a child and haven’t stopped."
McClain discusses Biscuit Belly’s expansion and its franchisee selection, training, and development. She also explains:
- Why menu development requires creative staff training practices to ensure consistent operations.
- Why customer value is defined by staying true to quality ingredients, consistent portions, and creative presentations.
- Why it takes the right people with the right products and following the right processes to be profitable today. (She notes that a recent franchisee opening attracted more than 200 applicants for 35 positions).
- Why franchisee selection is like adding family members at the dinner table. (“Closeness and compatibility are what’s most important,” says McClain).
- Why franchise field services are more about teamwork and support than supervision and evaluation.
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Episode 79: Tom Foley
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
How does a lawyer become the partner of one of the Food Network’s hottest celebrity chefs and restaurant owners? Tune in to find out how attorney Tom Foley met chef Tiffany Derry, selected locations, attracted investors, and launched the business that created Texas’s award-winning Roots Southern Table and Roots Chicken Shak.
They refer to each other as “Pots-and-Pans Tiffany” and “Pen-and-Paper Tom”, underscoring a unique partnership that Tom believes is the foundation of their success. In this episode, he shares what he learned as the company’s inaugural general manager, how he forged the company’s people-first culture, and his plans for future concepts. Tom also talks about:
- How partnering with a celebrity chef raises the level of guest expectations.
- Why learning is a daily experience. Staff and management learn from successes as well as mistakes made.
- How cross-training restaurant, bar, and culinary managers build a stronger team and reduce turnover.
- How passion, principles, and purpose lead to profitability.
- Why staff “bench strength” is a priority when considering expansion.
- How to support the community by creating opportunities for social entrepreneurship.
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Episode 78: Cassie Ghaffar & Sandy Nguyen
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
Tuesday Feb 13, 2024
When best friends Cassie Ghaffar and Sandy Nguyễn worked in restaurants together in college, they never imagined they would become successful multi-concept restaurant entrepreneurs together. Today, as business partners of Houston-based Saigon Hustle, Sunday Press, and Ginger Kale, they share their inspirational story of concept creation, profitability, and expansion.
Saigon Hustle was launched just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic as a ghost kitchen delivery-only Thai concept. After nine months of operation, Cassie and Sandy moved the restaurant into a small building on a busy corner in a well-established neighborhood. Offering limited outside seating and drive-thru only, Saigon Hustle became a tremendous success. “We are proud that the three concept commitments we made became reality," says Sandy, citing their “authentic menu recipes, accessibility to the masses, and ability to expand.”
Sunday Press and Ginger Kale are neighborhood coffee-bakery cafes. "We offer a comfortable place to be,” says Cassie. "Regulars meet, eat, and visit during morning, afternoon, and throughout the evening. We offer a private room for family gatherings, small business meetings, and community events”.
In this episode, Sandy and Cassie share their experience and wisdom as successful startup restaurateurs, including:
- Managing multiple concepts efficiently with common procedures and support systems.
- Financing the business for growth, including private equity.
- Successfully expanding without sacrificing quality and consistency.
- Focusing on community as their best marketing tool.
- Creating a people-first culture that pays dividends in building a team for expansion.
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
Episode 77: Brandon and Zane Hunt
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
Tuesday Jan 30, 2024
Growing up in Detroit, brothers Brandon and Zane Hunt loved their hometown pizza. So, in 2011, they launched Via 313, introducing Motor City-style pizza to Austin, Texas with a $30,000 investment and a food truck. Today, Via 313 (“by way of” 313 — Detroit’s area code) boasts 17 units.
Brandon and Zane explain how they:
- Grew their business from a food truck to a full-service restaurant to an award-winning, multi-state concept with locations throughout the Southwest.
- Won over investors to help finance business expansion.
- Fostered owner-operator and investor relations.
- Developed a consistent brand and company culture at multiple locations.
- Plan to grow the concept to 30-plus units within the next four years.
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Episode 76: Pete Mora
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Pete Mora’s appreciation for Mexican cuisine began when he arrived in the U.S. from his native Colombia. “My parents had a tremendous influence on me,” says Pete. Following graduation from the University of Houston, where he studied entrepreneurship, he began working at his family’s restaurant — Poblano’s Mexican Grill — and "fell in love with foodservice,” he says.
Pete learned the principles for success in the restaurant business, including the importance of effective catering and delivery programs and involvement in the community. "These traits serve me well today as I administer to my growing fajita delivery restaurant company.”
Fajita Pete’s was borne from disaster. In the wake of a hurricane and flooding in Houston, “many roads were flooded, and businesses were closed making dining out very challenging,” says Pete. “We promoted family fajita packages for delivery and found we filled a tremendous void in the market.”
Today, Fajita Pete’s offers a limited menu of Mexican-grill favorites from its 35 locations, with 95 percent of sales from delivery. The concept’s units range from 1,200 to 2,000 square feet and require relatively few staff, keeping “expenses reasonable and daily operations simple,” says Pete.
In this episode, Pete shares his philosophy for franchise operations, branding, and growth. "Selecting a franchisee is much like adding a family member,” he explains. “It's more important that they are compatible with the concept and its vision. Capability can be taught, compatibility cannot.” And, in turn, Fajita Pete’s rewards their compatibility with support. “The better we support our franchise family, the better they do and the more they will grow."
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
Episode 75: Bruce Newman
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
"Sweet dreams are made of cheese,” says I Heart Mac & Cheese franchisee Bruce Newman, who operates a unit in Glendale, AZ, and was in the process of opening his second location at the end of 2023.
Bruce’s grandfather, who owned a successful barbecue restaurant in New Jersey for 35 years, was his inspiration for entering the restaurant business. “I knew it was simply a matter of time for me,” he says, explaining, “I always loved the culinary side of restaurants but had been afraid of the unknowns of startup ownership.” The advantages of owning a solid franchise allayed his concerns. I Heart Mac & Cheese is a fast-casual, counter-service concept with limited seating and a tremendous amount of takeout and third-party delivery business. In 2015, Bruce met with the owners of I Heart Mac & Cheese in Scottsdale, AZ. In this episode, Bruce explains the advantages of becoming a franchisee and why other would-be startup operators are opting for this route to restaurant ownership and independence.
"I was immediately attracted to I Heart Mac & Cheese because of the quality and simplicity of the concept," says Bruce. “I chose to become a franchisee because of the established operating systems, the marketing support, and purveyor purchasing agreements.”
“The line works like magic,” says Bruce, adding that “guests simply choose the type of cheese, the size of the bowl, and protein.” With a per-person check average of more than $15 and limited labor requirements, I Heart Mac & Cheese is well-positioned for successful expansion in today’s competitive fast-casual market.