In this repurposed episode of The Builders Podcast, John Busby speaks with Gregg Majewski about his proven strategies for restaurant growth, franchising, and operational excellence. When Gregg joined Jimmy John’s, the brand had just 30 locations—under his leadership, it expanded to over 300, revolutionizing fast-casual dining with its freaky fast delivery model and an unshakable commitment to quality, cleanliness, and efficiency. Now, as CEO of ‪Craveworthy Brands, he’s building the next wave of successful restaurant concepts, with a portfolio spanning everything from craft burgers to gourmet cinnamon rolls.

Takeaways:

1. Letting Consumers Pick the Next Big Restaurant Brand - Craveworthy helps grow emerging restaurant brands but understands that “the consumer decides what brand is the next IT brand.” Raising Cane’s succeeded not because of a complex menu but because it was “consistent” and offered something people loved. Craveworthy applies this mindset across its diverse portfolio, letting the market determine which brands take off.
2. Follow the Playbook to Succeed - Franchise success depends on following a proven system, as “franchisees want to buy a system that they can replicate with ease.” Those who stick to the process and execute consistently tend to succeed, while those who don’t often struggle. According to Gregg, “nine outta ten times” failure comes down to not following the system or picking a bad location.
3. Embrace Technology but Don’t Lose Hospitality - Technology should enhance the guest experience, like digital payments that eliminate long waits for a check, but should never replace hospitality. “Tech that takes out hospitality” and removes human interaction is not the right approach. Restaurants succeed because they create an experience where guests “want that level of hospitality” and feel taken care of.

Episode Links

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ABOUT JOHN BUSBY

John Busby serves as Centerfield's Chief Marketing Officer. In addition to corporate marketing, John leads Centerfield's Digital Brands, which help millions of in-market consumers choose and purchase the right product or service through brands like Business.com and BroadbandNow. Prior to joining Centerfield, John was Head of Analytics for Amazon's grocery division. Prior to Amazon, John was Senior Vice President of Analytics and Marketing at Marchex. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University.

ABOUT GREGG MAJEWSKI:

Gregg Majewski has a vast amount of experience as a corporate executive in the restaurant industry. As the former CEO of Jimmy John’s, he played a major role in expanding the franchise from 33 to 300+ stores in just 5 years by surrounding the company’s marketing strategy around the innovative approach of delivering sandwiches and being “freaky fast”. Majewski has worked to develop restaurant concepts over the last two plus decades, before starting Craveworthy Brands in 2023, which currently includes a growing portfolio of restaurant brands.

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