🎙️ From Apple Finance to Restaurant Empire Builder: Taylor DeHart's Journey in Food & Beverage Investment

In this compelling episode, Taylor DeHart, Principal at Savory Fund, shares his remarkable journey from turning down a full-time offer at Apple to building one of the most successful restaurant investment firms in the country. Through the fascinating story of transforming Swig from a 17-location regional concept into a 120+ location dirty soda empire, Taylor reveals the secrets of identifying the next generation of great restaurant brands. From developing proprietary algorithms for labor scheduling to navigating near-death business experiences that became defining moments, Taylor demonstrates how deep industry expertise, operational partnership, and unwavering commitment to founders can drive extraordinary growth in the competitive food and beverage landscape.

✨ Key Insights You'll Learn:

• Strategic career pivoting: Choosing entrepreneurial growth over corporate security by declining Apple's full-time offer

• Operator-to-investor evolution: Transforming from single restaurant owner to 150-location operator to specialized investment fund

• Restaurant investment criteria: The essential trifecta of strong culture, solid leadership team, and proven unit economics

• Partnership philosophy: Prioritizing alignment and trust over complex legal structures in deal-making

• Technology integration: Leveraging data-driven scheduling algorithms and KPI optimization without sacrificing guest experience

• Franchise relationship dynamics: Maintaining "skin in the game" mentality to align with franchisee success

• Crisis management: Converting potential business disasters into growth opportunities through rapid decision-making

• Industry specialization advantages: How deep sector expertise enables creative problem-solving during challenging times

• Employee ownership culture: Creating profit-sharing programs that give everyone from assistant managers to executives stake in success

  
  

🌟 Taylor's Key Influences & Mentors:

• Managing Director Mentor: Early college mentor who introduced Taylor to the restaurant investment opportunity and guided his entry into Savory Fund

• Apple Leadership Team: Finance development program that showed him "the best of corporate finance" while revealing his entrepreneurial calling

• Founding Team Experience: 17 years of collective restaurant operating expertise that shaped Savory's operator-investor hybrid approach

• Industry Veterans: Restaurant founders and operators who taught valuable lessons through both successes and expensive failures

• Strategic Partners: Utah Jazz ownership group (Larry H Miller) and other industry leaders who provided capital and credibility for scaling portfolio companies

• Portfolio Company Founders: Visionary restaurant entrepreneurs who continue to shape Savory's understanding of what makes brands successful

  
  

👉 Don't miss this masterclass in restaurant investing, operational excellence, and how to turn near-failures into the most important capabilities your firm will ever develop.

🔗 Connect with Taylor DeHart:

• LinkedIn: Taylor DeHart

• Savory Fund Website: savoryfund.com

• Restaurantology Summit: restaurantologysummit.com (September 10-11)

• Email available through LinkedIn

📄 Transcript Available: Innovation in Private Equity: Taylor DeHart's Operator-First Approach to Restaurant Investing

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📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

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