The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I talk with Mary Jane Riva, chief executive officer and president of the Pizza Factory about growing the brand and the importance of community.

Riva has been in the industry for more than thirty years. She worked in a donut shop at 16 years old, which led to owning her own shop. Riva got into pizza with her husband and became a franchisee for Pizza Factory for twenty-four years. In 2012 Riva became the CEO of the brand that has over 100 locations across the country. Riva says, “Over our time in Southern California, we ended up opening about five stores and then fast forward to 2012 when the founders asked us if we would like to buy the company.” She goes on to say that what she likes most about being an entrepreneur is the idea of not knowing what everyday will be like and how it will not be the same. “So it's kind of exciting, challenging, so that's what really kind of kept me in this business,” Riva adds.

Riva’s experience as a franchisee helped her transition into becoming a franchisor. The Pizza Factory franchisees had trust and offered support as she stepped into her new role. She says, “And I think the biggest thing was probably the easiest for them to accept about the whole thing was that they knew I was a franchisee, they knew I knew exactly what they were going through, and I still have stores.”

We talk about the importance of community and Riva shares that the founders started back in 1985 and their idea was to go into small towns and be a part of it, work in it and support that community. Riva says, “As a company, we also take on some initiatives in addition to what our stores do and our stores do amazing things in their communities. Our franchisees are so giving and so involved in their communities. We have the anti bully program, we work with No Kid Hungry and we're starting with One Tree Planted. So being a part of the community we just feel is the right thing to do and ultimately, you get what you give. And if you are supporting your community, they're going to support you back.”

To hear Riva talk about growth plans for the Pizza Factory and her top three tips for franchisee satisfaction check out this episode of Fast Casual Nation or tune in on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I talk with the founder and chief executive officer of Chi'Lantro, Jae Kim about building a brand, giving back to the community and marketing a fast-casual brand. Chi'Lantro, the name is a combination of the words kimchi and cilantro and is based in Austin, Texas.

Kim, born in Seoul, Korea moved to the United States when he was twelve years old and grew up in California. After a few attempts in hospitality that were not that successful, Kim started a food truck business in 2010. He had maxed out his credit cards and utilized his savings of 30K to follow his dream of owning a Korean Mexican fusion food truck. In the beginning Kim shares that it was a challenge getting customers. After making adjustments to his location, he was able to bring the traffic to his food truck and get menu recognition.

In 2016, Kim after many attempts was selected to be on the show Shark Tank. Although Barbara Corcoran made him an offer, ultimately he did not accept the deal. Kim has successfully been able to grow the brand without raising capital.

In growing the brand over the last twelve years, Chi’Lantro has gone from a food truck model to opening ten brick-and-mortar fast-casual stores. They have created a menu that has resonated with the crowds including The Original Kimchi Fries that have become famous in their own right.

We talk about community, it is extremely important to Kim as well as his Chi’Lantro team. It was how they made it through Covid. He shares the story of an employee that started with him twelve years ago and today, she now runs one of his very successful brick-and-mortar stores.

To hear Kim talk about Chi’Lantro’s core values, the expansion plans and his top 3 tips for opening a restaurant check out this episode of Fast Casual Nation or tune in on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I talk with Andy Rebhun, chief marketing officer, El Pollo Loco about technology, innovation and marketing to a younger audience.

I asked Rebhun about getting started in the industry and he shared, “I actually got my first dip in QSR way back in 2006. I was a master burrito ambassador for a small Mexican restaurant chain at the time called Chipotle Mexican Grill and that was really my first foray in food marketing. I was always interested in food, I love the ability to try to satisfy what was the consumer taste or consumer desire to possibly try a new restaurant or a new brand.”

Rehbun is an extremely experienced marketer and has worked with companies including Ford Motor Company, where he started his career and for McDonald's Corporation from 2013 to 2019. He says about his time with McDonald's, “I worked in Boston, Chicago and Atlanta working in a variety of consumer marketing, digital roles that just really allowed me to kind of learn the ins and outs of the business. Working with some of the best franchisees and best marketers in the restaurant industry.” Rebhun joined El Pollo Loco about three years ago to lead the digital transformation and nine months ago became the brands chief marketing officer.

El Pollo Loco, a fire grilled chicken brand, is primarily based in the southwest and a majority of their locations are in California, Arizona and Nevada with a few locations in Utah, Texas and Louisiana. Rebhun says the brand is expanding in other markets like Colorado, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, and Albuquerque.

Rebhun talks about his philosophy as a marketer and says, “I think one of the biggest pieces of my philosophy is building an emotional connection with the consumer. I think there's lots of times in the food space we're obviously very hyper competitive. A lot of the marketing that's done is very transactional in nature and one of the things that we try to do is build that emotional connection with the consumer through all our touch points that we have throughout our marketing ecosystem.”

El Pollo Loco’s continued digital evolution utilizes TikTok to evolve how it engages with customers. Rebhun says, “we've put a tremendous focus on that aspirational consumer and a lot of that has been leaning into platforms such as TikTok that has really provided us the ability to connect with younger consumers, allow them to experience the brand for the first time and ultimately build a connection with us which they didn't have previously.”

To hear about El Pollo Loco’s marketing campaign and how menu innovation drives growth for the brand, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I talk with Troy Charhon, co-founder, owner and operator of Bread Zeppelin.

Troy Charhon and Andrew Schoellkoph are the founders, owners and operators of Bread Zeppelin and have been friends since high school. Charhon started his career in the food service industry as part of the management team for Central Market in the areas of store operations and procurement. Schoellkoph was on the team of Dallas-based eatZi’s Market & Bakery where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the store, supervising 200 employees and managing a $17 million profit and loss statement. He also collaborated with the owners and CEO to implement various growth strategies.

Charhon and Schoellkoph reconnected in Dallas sharing thoughts and ideas for what was lacking in the local market, Bread Zeppelin soon became their reality. The two partners started crafting their vision and in 2013 the first Bread Zeppelin opened on MacArthur Blvd in Las Colinas.

Bread Zeppelin prepares fresh ingredients and serves them in a cored out freshly baked artisan baguette. Charhon says “the bread is definitely the star at Bread Zeppelin.” We talk about the menu and Charhon shares that all of their proteins are made in house. They offer steak, turkey, fried shrimp and tofu and then different varieties of lettuce. The menu keeps up with seasonality even running a limited time offer or LTO with strawberries and goat cheese. Bread Zeppelin also offers crispy onions served with blue cheese dressing, Charhon says for those that want to indulge.

I asked Charhon if the supply chain has been challenging when planning to offer LTOs and he said that “I think we've got great vendors and partners and if for some reason we can't get the exact spec of a certain product, we can definitely pivot to something else. Um and we hope our and our guests are very understanding. We're all dealing and have dealt with challenging times but the LTO is supposed to be exciting, something fun and different and you know that's what we want to put forth to our guests just so they can get a little spice in their assortment.”

To hear about the industry labor shortages, the launch of the new app and customer rewards, plus Bread Zeppelin’s plans for expansion listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with Kyle Frederick, chief operating officer of Original ChopShop, a fast-casual restaurant based in Dallas.

Frederick’s story is one of growth and dedication, he worked his way from entry-level to C-suite executive in just 10 years. When asked about his start in the industry, he says, “I've been in the service industry for 20 years now, really my whole professional career has been in the service industry. Earned my chops at an oldie but a goodie brand which is Chili's Bar And Grill. That's really it. I learned the foundation of service and hospitality with Chili's as I was getting my business degree at LSU. I'm originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.” He adds he got his business degree and got hooked into the restaurant industry.

Next Frederick worked at Zoës Kitchen, a fast-cast concept for ten years. He shares, “If you are in the right time and you're eager to grow and do a lot of things, you get to do a lot of things and I kept raising my hand for different assignments and different roles and as they came available just really worked myself up the ladder so to speak over the course of those 10 years. So I worked inside the restaurant as a leader, and was a general manager when we started really growing restaurants in 2019 through the heart of the recession. I got my opportunity to open up a lot of restaurants that took a couple years.”

We talk about what customers expect when dining at the Original ChopShop and Frederick says, “Original ChopShop is a neighborhood eatery. We're founded in 2013. We're for those on the go busy people that are still looking for something that's going to be nutritious and flavorful but they don't have to sacrifice in any of those categories to get something on the go. Where everything is chopped in shop. That's where we get our name from the Original ChopShop. We are fast-casual so you order at the counter and bring the food out to you.” You can find protein bowls, salad, sandwiches, juices and more on the menu.

To hear Frederick talk about being a people first business, Original ChopShop benefits package and professional development program that are positively impacting team performance and retention tune into this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Spotify.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with the chief executive officer of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Charles Watson.  

Watson, a veteran franchise professional, worked for several hospitality companies including Intercontinental Hotels Group and US Franchise Systems. We talk about his early introduction to the business as a boy, standing on a tub in his dad’s restaurant doing dishes. Watson says, “I started at about nine standing on a bus tub in my dad's restaurant washing dishes. My dad described the dishwasher as the race car which was supposed to make it more attractive to me as a nine year old and I guess it.”  

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is about who they are as a brand and it is about the people, Watson says when I ask about brand strategy. “It's about us as a corporate support center, it's even more importantly about our franchisees who deliver our products and services to guests every day and when we think about that and we think about our culture we start with two words, inspire better. It's our belief at Tropical Smoothie Cafe that what we do every day matters.” 

Watson talks about their thirteen year partnership with Camp Sunshine. It is a retreat in Maine that offers support for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families through stages of a child’s illness. Tropical Smoothie Cafe has raised close to $8 million over the years. At a recent franchisee convention, the brand announced the new national charity partnership with No Kid Hungry. The nonprofit helps nearly 12 million kids in America who are living in hunger.  Watson says about the partnership, “And to think that we live in this country and we're blessed with so much and that there's still kids out there that are hungry every day, especially right now especially in the summer right? when school is out of session so through the partnership we really think Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations around the country will be able to really drive this partnership.” 

To hear about Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s loyalty program and the brand’s roll out for 2022 listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with Stacey Pool, chief marketing officer and Sue Petersen, executive vice president of Noodles & Company about the uncommon goodness that has been the core of the brand for more than twenty-five years. 

Pool shares her background prior to joining Noodles & Company and has held a variety of leadership roles at Vail Resorts, Inc., including senior vice president of season pass marketing, chief of staff to the ceo, and vice president of digital experience. Before joining Vail Resorts, Pool was at Nike, Inc., where she defined the vision and strategy for the NIKEiD.com digital experience. 

Petersen joined Noodles in 2015 as vice president of human resources, and in her expanded role as executive vice president of inclusion, diversity and people, she will continue to spearhead the Company’s inclusion and diversity initiatives, as well as its total rewards, recruitment, and human resources functions. Her experience includes over twenty years of human resource and operational leadership roles at brands such as Chipotle, Walgreens and Rock Bottom Restaurants. 

We talk about Noodles team member benefits including immigration reimbursement, general manager equity partner program, mental health series and more. Petersen says, “we look at our benefit offerings and identify where there might be gaps and/or where we could maybe do something a little different than what's happening in the industry or around us and each year we can add to the standard benefits as far as health, dental, medical and look at what else we can be doing.  This year we're really excited, we introduced in the beginning of May some really cutting edge benefits.”

Pool talks about the Noodles & Company rewards program and she says, “​​I think all of us are really passionate about our loyal members. They definitely are a key contributor to our success but the way that we think about the rewards program is how do we bring the most unique program to our guest so that it feels different, it feels special, and the guest feels very special being part of it.” Adding, “right now we have over four million members in that program and we continue to grow every single month.” 

To hear about the company's uncommon goodness positioning, more details on the team benefits, and menu innovation including LEANguini, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, I chat with Raji Sankar, co-founder of Wholesome International a multi-concept restaurant development company and co-chief executive officer of Choolaah Indian BBQ restaurants which is owned and operated by Wholesome International. 

I asked Sankar about her background prior to getting into the restaurant industry and she says, “I was what you could term a permanent student so I went to school for metallurgical engineering and then mechanical engineering masters, went to school for artificial intelligence and then finally got my MBA from Carnegie Mellon and in between I worked in tech and finance in big consulting. I think I was always searching for my true passion.” Sankar adds how she found herself in food and says, “I did two startups with my classmates at Carnegie Mellon while we were still in our MBA course and it was so much fun. It was focused on tech and once we wound that up I ended up in a technology company and that's where I met my current Co-ceo, we hit it off. That company got sold to a larger company and we decided to start something because it's one of those things when you find a great team it's such a powerful thing.”

Sankar shared that in 2003 they wrote the business plan for a fast-casual Indian concept while looking at the trends around fast-casual and brands like Chipotle and Panera were emerging. She said that they saw that consumer behavior was leaning towards families who dined out needed speed and convenience. Consumers still wanted quality ingredients made fresh. Indian at the time was not mainstream and they decided to put that concept on hold.  

Wholesome International in 2004 started to franchise Five Guys and Sankar talks about learning about the founders passion, values and staying true. She says they were blown away by the commitment from the brand. 

Sankar and I speak about automation and technology available in the industry. She talks about always looking for ways to make things easier on the team, using technology as an enabler for that and constantly innovating.

When I ask about future plans for Choolaah, Sankar says, “so we want to bring that clean, healthy, good for you food across everywhere. We are in the process of opening number seven back in Cleveland. She adds,  like I mentioned to you, God willing we will have the opportunity to open across the eastern seaboard and then across all of the U.S.

To hear more about being a people-centric company, the importance of growth & utilizing employee talents at the highest level, and a proactive approach to staffing, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Spotify.

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, Pepe chats with Lori Cominsky, Vice President at Mongolian Concepts, about driving growth strategy, labor shortages and menu innovation. 

When asked about her 20 plus years of experience in restaurant operations, Cominsky shares that she began working in the industry at KFC when she was a teenager. She talks about landing her first restaurant management job right out of college and how she learned a great deal about systems, new restaurant openings and how a company grows. She shares that the company grew from 15 units to 200 during her 9 years with them. Cominsky talks about growing a Chicago based Mediterranean fast casual brand and opening several locations under her leadership. She shares that she went on to serve as Vice President of Operations at a healthy quick service restaurant before taking on the role of Vice President at Mongolian Concepts.

Cominsky talks about why she decided to join the Mongolian Concepts team. She shares that Mongolian Concepts is the parent company of three casual dining, stir-fry brands and how she welcomed the strong challenge of taking three unique brands, making them successful, aligning them with their systems and training, while allowing each of them to have their own culture and identity. She adds, “I also firmly believe that Mongolian Concepts has the ability to grow exponentially and become the best stir-fry concept in their respective markets.”

Pepe and Cominsky discuss the importance of improving communication, labor shortages, and recruiting new talent. Cominsky shares that she had a 30-60-90 day plan laid out when she joined the company, and that her number one goal was improving communication across the board, which resulted in improved trust and bond within the team. She talks about the company’s two-pronged, digital and hands-on training technique for new hires to make certain that they feel empowered and supported. When it comes to recruiting new talent, Cominsky shares that the brand takes a multifaceted checks and balances approach to ensure that teammates want to stick around. She adds, "It's something that we talk about every day. We talk about how we can become better staffed and what we can do better to keep our team and to get the best people and to make sure that they're happy.”

Pepe asks Cominsky what we can expect to see from Mongolian Concepts in the coming months. Cominsky is excited to share that in addition to remodeling some of their existing units, they recently opened a new Genghis Grill location. She talks about the pride the team felt regarding the roll out of a new menu at the brand's concept, bd’s Mongolian Grill, which will feature chef-curated dishes as well as some signature cocktails. Cominsky mentions the importance of menu innovation and shares that the company's concept, Flattop Grill, is introducing new dishes including Ramen and Poke bowls. She says, “Innovation with this menu allows for significant growth in dining room sales. So, we're planning to drive our business there and also to drive off-premise and third-party sales to a bigger percentage of our overall sales.”

To hear more from Cominsky about the brand's new menu items, third-party delivery relationships, and the company's ghost kitchen concept, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Produced by Lisa Pepe

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory

The Fast Casual Nation Podcast offers exclusive interviews with experts ranging from top chefs and brand makers to executives and restaurants who work in one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. In this episode, Pepe chats with Craig Erlich, President and CEO of Friendly's Restaurants, about Friendly’s Cafe, labor shortages, and technology.

Erlich talks about his background in the industry. He shares that he got his start in the restaurant business as a teenager and worked his way up through a variety of positions. He says, “I actually started my career in the restaurant business as an early teen and worked probably in every position, dishwasher, prep cook, line cook, cook, barback, waiter, manager.” He talks about leaving the industry and going into retail leadership for 25 years, before returning to his restaurant roots, and joining the team at Friendly’s Restaurants.

Pepe and Erlich chat about how dining habits have changed over the past two and a half years, particularly due to Covid. Erlich shares that it created a strong push towards off-premise dining and third party delivery models. He says, “When Covid hit, you know, many, many restaurants, the ones that survived, were the ones that embraced the off-premise third party business.  And, I think you know when you look at how restaurants are performing today, that fast casual balance of convenience, and also can enjoy your favorite restaurant anywhere, anyhow, is really popular.”

Erlich drops the exciting news that Friendly’s is launching a new fast casual concept called Friendly’s Cafe. He shares that the new concept will have a more modern design than the traditional Friendly’s Restaurants. He talks about the menu innovations, and shares that the new dishes were created through a collaboration with customers, employees and franchisees. Erlich tells Pepe about a few of the new menu offerings while also ensuring her that the brand is committed to keeping fan favorites as well. 

When Pepe asks Erlich about supply chain issues and labor shortages, he talks about how those challenges shape how they are continuing to run and open restaurants. Erlich shares that they also lean into technology to drive efficiencies and with third-party delivery, but he is quick to add that the one thing technology won’t replace is the Friendly’s family. He says, “So I will tell you that tech is never going to be a substitute for human interaction, at least not in Friendly’s.”

To hear more from Erlich about the restaurant's new concept, his thoughts on ghost kitchens, and what the company has planned for virtual brands, listen to this episode of Fast Casual Nation on Apple Podcasts.

Produced by Lisa Pepe

Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/

Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.

Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory