On this episode of Emerging Brands, Kelly Roddy, President and Chief Executive Officer of WOWorks, talks about the early beginning of his career at Walmart. Roddy worked up through the ranks and learned leadership and business skills. He moved to Scholastic Books and then back to the retail segment with HEB, a large retail grocer out of Texas. Roddy’s first restaurant job was CEO at Schlotzsky’s under the FOCUS Brands umbrella. 

In 2019 Roddy started at SaladWorks as the Chief Executive Officer with the intent to create a holding company to bring in several good for you brands. WOWorks set out to acquire brands well positioned for a guest that has educated themselves on food as fuel. WOWorks added three additional brands to the portfolio with plans to add more. 

Roddy discusses the pandemic and the difficult time it was for the restaurant industry. He talks about supporting his franchise partners, working closely with the community, and giving back to first responders. 

The brand’s growth was also a priority focusing on third party delivery and virtual opportunities, they successfully added ghost kitchen partners. Roddy wanted to make SaladWorks more accessible to customers across the country and partnered with several grocery stores. 

As far as WOWorks brands, SaladWorks was the start and is the largest salad chain in the United States today with about 140 units and growing. Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh was acquired, offering fast-casual authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Frutta Bowls was another acquisition that will triple in size over the next year, offering a clean variety of fresh to order bowls. The latest, The Simple Greek with a fresh and healthy take on ancient greek recipes. 

Listen to Roddy speak on the future of the restaurant industry and what to expect from WOWorks in the next five years.