In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Maria Rivera, CEO of Smalls Sliders, an Atlanta-based chain with eight locations that was founded by Brandon Landry, who also started Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. Maria, who was formerly the president of Krispy Kreme, was brought in to accelerate Smalls’ growth, which is helped along by a unique expansion strategy in which Smalls is having modular shipping-container units built off-site and delivered to their plots. Maria was a panelist at NRN’s recent CREATE Road Show in Atlanta, and Sam met her at the Smalls headquarters to talk about the brand’s unique restaurants — which the company calls “cans” — as well as how Smalls Sliders is taking a page out of Walk-On’s book while maintaining its own brand identity.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• There is power in one-product brands
• A great founder plus great financial partner plus great product equals great opportunity
• Modular store construction is the efficient expansion strategy of the future 
• Efficiency is simplification and simplification is hard
• If you’re planning fast expansion, make sure your vendors are willing to come on the journey with you
• A sister brand to a successful concept can ride its coattails — to a point
• A vulnerable, accessible CEO has a sense of how quickly a brand can grow
• Emerging brand leadership teams must stay humble to build a healthy company

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].