Emerging Brands Podcast

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Nicole Di Pietro, vice president of Jeremiah's Italian Ice talks about brand standards, franchising, and maintaining a strong local presence.

Di Pietro, who started in hospitality when she was thirteen years old at a local bakery, says even though she worked there all four years of high school, she never thought that her long-term career would end up in the hospitality industry. She went to college and got a job at Tijuana Flats, where she continued working for twenty years before joining Jeremiah’s Italian Ice. Di Pietro refers to herself as a lifer in the industry.

In 2016 Di Pietro joined Jeremiah’s Italian Ice as vice president preparing the brand for growth. She says one of the main reasons she wanted to be a part of the brand was their culture. “The culture is really what drew me in. Just having a servant heart and passion for people was really important for me to align myself with a brand that matched my personal core values and would be able to continue to scale that so the vision for Jeremiah's Italian Ice is really simple, it's to be the coolest frozen dessert brand” says Di Pietro. Adding, “our mission is to consistently create flavorful experiences for our staff and guests while inspiring them to live life to the coolest.”

In terms of core values, Di Pietro says, “It's really important for us that the core values that we have are not just something that hangs in a frame on the wall. It's something that we utilize and we use and we exemplify on a daily basis and it's something that when we're looking for employees, franchise partners to grow with we need to ensure that our core values align with the people that we're aligning with because the people are the most important component to any concept.”

Di Pietro talks about the future and says, “Jeremiah's franchising in 2021 for the future is really simple. We're trying to create a thoughtful franchising program with franchise partners that truly align with our culture and our core values, that have a people-first mentality and that implements that in their daily actions.”

Tune into this episode of Emerging Brands to learn more about Jeramiah’s franchise community, company culture, and developing a brand with strong local presence.

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Andy Wiederhorn, chief executive officer of FAT Brands talks about the impact of the pandemic on FAT Brands, partnering with third party delivery, and the benefits of becoming a franchisee. 

Wiederhorn shares with us the impact the pandemic had on FAT Brands saying, “The impact of the pandemic on FAT Brands was really challenging because we have multiple categories of restaurant companies, we have QSR brands, we have fast casual brands, we have casual dining brands and polished casual dining brands. So the effect here across our different brands was different in each category.” He adds, “the brands that were the most resilient of course were the QSR brands and the fast casual brands that always had delivery and togo and they went from thirty or forty percent delivery and to eighty five percent delivery and togo.” 

FAT Brands has fifteen different brands including Johnny Rockets, Hot Dog on a Stick, Marble Slab Creamery, Pretzelmaker, Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookie Company, FAT Burger, Elevation Burger, Yalla Mediterranean, Buffalo’s Cafe, Hurricane Grill, and their most recent acquisition of Twin Peaks. Wiederhorn says, “recently our acquisition of Twin Peaks the sports lodge is really our first entry into polished casual dining, where you have much larger average unit volumes five or six million dollars a restaurant. These restaurants are quite large, six thousand square feet. They cost five or six million dollars to build and you know it's a whole different business being in the sports bar business.” 

Wiederhorn talks about the benefits of being a franchisee partner saying, “being part of the FAT Brands family brings all kinds of benefits to the franchisee. Our purchasing power today is more than five hundred million dollars a year in food, paper, beverages, and so when you're a franchisee joining our family you're getting two or three percent lower food costs just because of our global purchasing power.”  

To hear more about the benefits of becoming a franchisee partner in regards to marketing power, the value of third party partnerships, and why restaurants should consider being on the plant-based protein train, tune into this episode of Emerging Brands on Apple Podcasts.

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Michele Waits, Vice President Marketing of illycaffè North America, Inc., talks about the brand's history, new real estate opportunities, and direct to consumer trends.

Waits shares the long history of illycaffè, saying “The history of Illy is relatively long I think for many coffee companies. It was founded in 1933 in Trieste Italy which is an important port city for europe and in a place where all coffee comes into Europe and it's a family company so we are in the third generation of the illy family playing an important role in managing the company. There is a heritage of both. Rich Italian coffee culture but also innovation with the illy brand and the illy family are known to be the first to bring an espresso machine to the marketplace many years ago.” Adding, Illy has been around for more than 80 years and has been in the US for a little over 20 years and we are happy to say that we are making it as I mentioned a concerted effort to really grow our presence here in the us.”

Waits talks about new real estate opportunities, she says, “there are opportunities for us to really build our brand and to expose new customers to Illy in airports. We have been really excited to gain new business in airports around the country and particularly in markets where we are placing some strategic bets. So airport is definitely a big part of our real estate priority.”

When it comes to the Illy store model Waits says, “we are also seeing opportunities to really refocus and clarify if you will our store model and so we are experimenting a bit with some new services and some new products in some of our stores that we hope to roll out once we get some good learnings.”

Waits discusses direct-to-consumer trends during the pandemic and then post pandemic. She says that, “what we're seeing is there is a shift in some cases back from online to offline to brick and mortar. But I would say not all of the gains that we got in direct-to-consumer have been passed back to brick and mortar. There are definitely more people shopping online both in our E shop and also on retailer’s sites and so there's definitely that increase. But the growth in direct-to-consumer has slowed a bit since the height of the pandemic.”

To hear about Illy’s retail tech innovation, commitment to sustainability, and their Welcome On The Road To Happiness campaign tune in to this episode of Emerging Brands Podcast.

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Micha Magid, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque talks about his transition to foodservice from mergers and acquisitions and how Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque is building a brand.

Magid shares how the brand started with his stepbrother Hugh Mangum’s pop-up version of Mighty Quinn's Barbeque at weekend food markets in Brooklyn. The success of the pop-ups led the three partners Mangum, Gourmos, and Magid to bring this concept to brick and mortar. Magid became an investor until the brand took off and then they left their day jobs to build the brand.

Magid says he thinks of Mighty Quinn’s more of a brand whose mission is to bring authentic barbeque to areas where it doesn't exist. Magid also talks about expanding, from the owner of corporate restaurants to becoming a franchisor. Seeing demand on the franchisee side, Mighty Quinn’s brought a differentiated restaurant concept to new markets. He also shares what additional opportunities they also identified.

The evolution of Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque began with pop-ups, corporate restaurants, franchises, and followed with consumer products business. Magid sees Mighty Quinn’s not really being in the foodservice business but really being more of a brand. They see consumer’s interacting with their brand through multiple different venues and channels.

Magid talks about going from having one restaurant location in the East Village of Manhattan to multiple units, noting a nod and glowing rating from the New York Times dining section that put them on the cover, Magid says, “it put us on the map in a really big way.” He adds, “after that review came out the whole world really changed for us.”

To hear more about Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque expansion plans including more stadiums, franchisees, and consumer products, listen to this episode on Emerging Brands podcast.

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Lionel Ladouceur, CEO of LE DUFF Americas, the parent company of la Madeleine, talks about his early beginning as a fast food executive with Mcdonalds in Canada and then moving on to Burger King. Ladouceur met Louis Le Duff during his time in manufacturing and eventually joined the Le Duff team as chief executive officer.

In 1983 the original founder of la Madeleine moved from France to Dallas, not able to find french pastries in a place known for barbeque, la Madeleine bakery and cafe opened. Ladouceur talks about it’s cult-like following, how Group Le Duff purchased the brand in 2001, and three decades of building a brand.

Ladouceur says the brand has a strong focus on digital marketing but he knew they needed to be able to have store level marketing to make sure they are reaching all of their local customers. At la Madeleine, Ladouceur says, they are constantly reviewing menu innovation while keeping the french heritage and their culinary expertise combined with what the guest wants.

Service has always been strong for la Madeleine, Ladouceur says, their team internally believes in making a difference in their guests' lives when they come to visit. He talks about updating their facilities to a more modern decor representing what France is today.

During Covid, Ladouceur said, la Madeleine had a digital program but increased visibility curbside pick, third party delivery and took a multi-channel approach to increasing the brand’s visibility to customers. He shares how they added a drive-through in their core market in Dallas as well as added grab and go.

Listen to this episode to learn more about la Madeleine’s plan on growing the business and their megastore partnership with Walmart.

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Matt Ensero, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wing It On! talks about his motivation to open a wing concept restaurant and why he opened in his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut. Plus, he shares his pillars for achieving national success and what a franchisee can expect from Wing It On! as a partner.

Ensero says, there are three factors in order to get that authentic buffalo wing, they are the crispiness of the wings, the sauce itself and the dipping sauce. He explains how Wing It On! delivers on those three factors.

The poultry shortage would impact many businesses but Ensero said they were able to minimize the effects and he shares how they were able to offset that challenge. Wing It On! was able to partner with suppliers to keep costs low and was guaranteed allotment as a restaurant partner.

Ensero shares his decision to become a franchise, the steps he took to become one, and what they look for in a franchisee. He wants his partners to be a fellow “wing nut” and be equally finatical about customer service. Ensero encourages first time restaurateurs and entrepreneurs to become franchisees. He also tells us what makes Wing It On! a good partner if you are looking to get into the business or are already in the restaurant industry.

When talking about expansion for the brand, Wing It On! will need to graduate from what Ensero calls emerging brand university in order to become a national brand. He says, Wing It On! needs straight A’s in the eight pillars of emerging brands success. Ensero’s eight pillars are:

quality of operators

site selection

training

customer service

food quality

supply chain

technology

Marketing

If you want to learn more about Wing It On! and Ensero’s plan for the future growth of the brand, be sure to listen to this episode on Emerging Brands Podcast.

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Mark Setterington, President and Chief Executive Officer of Island Fin Poke Company talks about taking a leap of faith, creating a restaurant brand from scratch, and the importance of feeling welcomed like family at his restaurants.

Setterington shares how he met Paul Reas at Bahama Breeze fifteen years ago and how their friendship would bring them together to create Island Fin Poke Company. He tells the story of Paul quitting his job, heading to meet Setterington in Las Vegas where he was working at the time and the impact a road trip dedicated to eating would have in their menu.

All of the recipes for Island Fin Poke were developed in Setterington’s home and tested by friends and family. Setterington spent nine weeks in Hawaii and never had poke, his love for Hawaii came from the culture because it is all about family. He treats his vendors, guests and franchisees.

Setterington says, when they decided to do their own thing it was about building a lifestyle, not a job. He wanted to spend more time with family and playing golf, so he said, they decided on fast-casual. Zero complexity was the mission.

Even though Setterington had planned to have two or three restaurants after opening his first in Orlando Florida, he soon realized that they had a great opportunity for a franchise brand. He discusses the steps to becoming a franchise, what is involved in making those changes and the importance of being a good partner to franchisees.

Tune in to the podcast to learn about Island Fin Poke’s company culture, their plan for expansion in the future and the advice Setterington would give himself during the conception of Island Fin Poke.

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Ross Mackay, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Daring Foods, talks about how becoming a vegan athlete, his competitive background and his devotion to a healthy lifestyle contributed to the launch of Daring Foods in 2018. 

Mackay wanted to create a plant-based protein that mimics the real taste, texture and macro nutrients as chicken.  He was determined to crack the code on a better-for-you plant-based chicken and his drive was to positively impact the planet and human health. Mackay says that the single aim for Daring Foods was to remove poultry from the food system. 

Daring Foods focuses on growth, employees and adding retailers. Mackay talks about attracting great investors, the Series B funding and going from two to fifty employees in just a few months.  “It's an exciting time for us at Daring, there is a huge amount of momentum, especially in distribution,”says Mackay. “Moving from four hundred days ago we were in three hundred doors, this year we will see more than ten times that number, maybe even twenty times.” Mackay adds, the core focus has always been to build a great business. 

Mackay shares how the DOT Foods partnership has contributed to their foodservice growth, allowing Daring access to restaurant groups, restaurant chains, hotels, schools, hospitals and more. The versatility of the Daring product will bring it to restaurant menus across the country, and they are building a team around this growth, says Mackay. 

To learn about Daring Food’s manufacturing technique, how it contributes to the taste and texture of their plant-based chicken and Mackay’s pinch me moment, listen to Emerging Brands.

Anthony Russo, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Russo’s New York Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen talks about how he got started in the restaurant business, his family’s influence, and developing an international brand.

Russo shares how he opened his first restaurant in Texas, it was a small little pizzeria, five hundred square feet with a pizza oven, dough mixer, and two tables. He had a dream to start a franchise business and teach people how to make pizza and pasta. After several years in development, Russo opened a larger store in Houston and then began franchising.

SOURCE: https://www.nypizzeria.com/
SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.NYPIZZERIA.COM/

After Russo attended food show’s domestically he decided to go to an international show, and he headed to Dubai. He exhibited at the show and served his pizza’s on site. Curious to see how pizza tasted locally, Russo discovered there was a need for authentic pizza in the Middle East. He partnered with a local franchisee in the market and continues to grow the business internationally.

During the pandemic, Russo shares how the brand’s delivery model and making digitally-focused changes contributed to the restaurants’ and franchises’ success. He said, social media took off, they served fresh made to order meals, and the brand gained new customers.

In the next five years, Russo’s goal is to open over one hundred restaurants. He says, if you are planning to open a restaurant in today’s market, look at your menu and set your business for home delivery service. Listen to the advice Russo offers when planning to open a restaurant.

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Andy Howard, President and Chief Executive Officer of Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders talks about thirty-five years ago when he got his start as a marketing director in the restaurant industry. Howard explains why his career choices have earned him the name chicken expert. First chicken stop started with Kenny Rogers Roasters, which was the whole chicken, then moved to the chicken breast at Ranch One a small chain in New York at that time. Howard’s third stop as Executive Vice President of Wingstop, where the menu consisted of just wings. 

Howard had been traveling for ten years between South Florida and Texas with Wingstop and it was time for him to get off the road. He talks about looking for his next life, he wanted to stay in the chicken business and began his quest to find the greatest chicken tenders. Howard's journey takes him to Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders based in Orlando, he acquired the company. 

Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders was a perfect fit for Howard’s plan. He talks about the steps he took to get the brand ready to franchise and his passion for the franchise model. Howard was looking to attract experienced franchisees and began franchising Huey Magoo’s. He shares his strategy to grow the south, southeast quadrant. Methodically, Howard will grow Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders across the country with eighteen stores open today and two hundred sold in eight states. 

Howard shares how Huey Magoo’s task force of very few were able to navigate the pandemic, and support the restaurants. They took the approach to over communicate and to continuously offer support. Howard says, they were able to get through and even thrive.

Howard shares his love for the franchise business and his approach to being the first contact for anyone interested in being a partner. He has learned a lot over the years and believes in taking care of his team.