When you think of great chains, a few things probably come to mind: Great branding. Consistent product and service offerings. Spot-on marketing. Streamlined operations.

Do you really need all these things solidified at startup? The partners behind a new Toronto venture think so. In this episode of the PROFIT BusinessCast, they share their strategy.

Craft Dogs is a gourmet hotdog restaurant started by restaurant veterans Brian Morin, Kathleen McGinn and Craig Smith. Currently, its empire is contained to one location. But its founders plan to add four or five more branches in the next three years—and, hopefully, many more after that.

And they've already built the foundation to support that growth. Every element of Craft Dogs has been structured to be scalable, including its branding, promotion, staffing, sourcing and manufacturing. It's an approach the founders are confident will make this niche business stand out in the wildly competitive restaurant industry.

To find out more on their strategy—and decide whether you agree with it—click on the iTunes icon below to listen to the podcast.