"Brand building starts with your P&L, not your logo."

Josh Halpern has one of the most unconventional careers in the industry: P&G, Clorox, Anheuser-Busch, CEO of Big Chicken, and now Chief Business Officer of Craveworthy Brands—leading strategy across 19 concepts while still running Big Chicken. In this episode, he joins Rachael Nemeth (Opus CEO) to break down what brand building actually means across chicken, pizza, coffee, taverns, Mediterranean, and more.

Josh explains how Craveworthy acquires brands with strong IP but weak foundations, why unit economics must be fixed before scale, and how he uses real-time guest and employee feedback to remove friction. He shares their 6–18 month “fix before franchise” rule, why no sacred cows survive growth, and how quarterly goals (EOS) create the traction most restaurant companies lack.

He also unpacks the CPG lessons that translate to restaurants, why hyper-customization is a non-negotiable for Gen Z + Gen Alpha, and the leadership framework—love + accountability—that drives cultures where GMs speak up, teams actually execute, and stores move from average to exceptional.

Key Takeaways

→ Unit Economics First: Brand strength depends on prime cost, occupancy, and a working P&L.

→ No Sacred Cows: Anything dragging down results—recipes, vendors, or locations—gets reworked.

→ Fix Before You Franchise: Spend the first 6–18 months removing friction and stabilizing the model.

→ Mind the Bell Curve: Averages hide underperformers; weak stores define your real reputation.

→ Shopper vs. Consumer: Loyalty must target the decision-maker, not just the card swiping.

→ Hyper-Customization Wins: Gen Z expects full choice—chains must adapt.

→ Staff as Personal Brands: Under-40 workers sell better when their own identity is empowered.

→ Love + Accountability: High-performance teams thrive on care, clarity, and follow-through.

→ Train GMs Like Owners: Most need stronger financial and leadership skills.

Perfect For:

Operators deciding when to accelerate or tighten, franchisors preparing for scale, multi-brand leaders, and teams aiming to blend strong operations with disciplined growth.

About Josh Halpern:

Chief Business Officer at Craveworthy Brands and CEO of Big Chicken. Known for disciplined growth, turnarounds, and a leadership approach rooted in love, accountability, and traction.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:09 Role at Craveworthy & the “restaurant vs. business” split

04:28 Brand building, unit economics & real loyalty

07:30 Fixing foundations: menu, locations & “no sacred cows”

10:47 90-day goals, EOS & driving traction with Opus

14:16 CPG lessons: data, bell curves & store-level performance

16:49 Shopper vs. consumer & targeting the right guest

19:08 When to scale vs. slow down (franchising & failed bets)

21:35 What brands will win by 2030: customization, chicken & everyday staples

24:32 Leaders who shaped Josh: love + accountability

30:23 Who thrives at Craveworthy: legacy, GMs & truth-telling culture

35:30 The GM skills gap & staff as personal brands

42:55 CEO as left tackle, empowerment & what Josh is learning now

About Us
Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business.

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