Is Fast Casual a Wise Move?

And we also have Clinton Anderson, the CEO of 4th, who will be moderating the conversation with Jason. Jason, how about I let you provide the audience some info about your background and you can likewise inform them a little bit about Chop Shop.

Thanks Christina. My name is Jason Morgan, CEO of Original Chop Shop. I have actually been doing this for about nine years now. We purchased the brand name in 2016three unitsand I have actually grown it to 26. Prior to this, I've invested many of my profession in hospitality in some shape or kind. After a quick stint of attempting to be an accounting professional for about a year and a half, I transitioned into casino property and worked in corporate finance.

I was the very first employee there after personal equity bought business. Assisted grow that from 20 to 150 areas, took it public in 2014, and after that left about a year and a half after going public to do this at Chop Store. My hope is that we can duplicate the success we had at Zos, and we're off to an actually great start.

We're at the counter, we bring the food to the table. It is primarily protein bowlsabout 40 percent of the mix. We likewise do salads, sandwiches. The key to the program is we have a beverage part as well with fresh-squeezed juices and protein shakes. We do all stables, we do breakfast all day.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

A little more complicated than a few of the walk-the-line principles that are out there, but we think we've got something pretty special. We're going to include another shop this year and a minimum of 4 shops next year. We will be 31 or so stores by the end of next year.

Leading Franchise Prospects to Watch

Hey, everyone. It's great to be with you again. My name is Clinton Anderson. I'm the CEO here at 4th. I've remained in this function for about six years. Fourth, as much of you know, is a leading supplier of software application services to the dining establishment and hospitality industry. Our goal is to assist our consumers be successful in driving profitability and being efficientmanaging labor, managing inventory, and essentially supplying them with tools they require to deliver their vision.

It's rare to have business that are precious and growing quickly, that can repeat that success every year. Jason, one of the factors I was so fired up to have you join our session is the success at Zos was amazing. I have actually only fulfilled a handful of brands where there was such a strong client affinity for the brand.

And now you're doing the very same thing at Chop Store. When you speak with customers about Chop Store, they like the place. They speak about its distinction. And to be able to take what is a fairly complicated principle in terms of delivering a terrific experience for the consumer, and be able to grow that from a few stores to now north of 30 shops next yearit's amazing.

We're going to speak about how to scale a restaurant organization. Every restaurateur I ever speak with has dreams of taking one store, 2 stores, 5 stores, and turning it into something much biggerexpanding throughout the city, throughout the state, into multiple states, and eventually nationwide, even worldwide reach. It's not simple, especially in today's environment.

Labor is difficult. Inventory expenses stay high. It's not a simple time to drive success and growth at the exact same time. We're thankful to have you here today, Jason, since we're going to dig into that subject. The questions are going to be really around: how do you grow a business? How do you scale it and make it effective? How do you reproduce early success? And from there, after we discuss your experience and the lessons you've discovered, we 'd like to then say: well, look, how could technology help? How can you utilize technology as a multiplier to replicate early success to significant success? Second, beyond technology, how do you scale fantastic teams? And finally, AI.

Significant Market Shifts Shaping 2026 Expansion

The first concern I have for you, Jasonlook, you have actually done this twice now in the dining establishment industry. What has your experience been in terms of what it takes to really drive success in broadening dining establishments?

We talked a little bit before we began about LinkedIn, and I have actually got a post teed as much as follow this next week about what the playbook is likepoint by pointfor growing a company. To me, one of the key things, and I feel extremely fortunate, is that both brands I have actually been involved with are distinct.

And there's absolutely nothing exactly like Chop Shop in regards to what we're doing with a large, varied menu. Many brand names today are really singularly focused in regards to what they're providing from a food item. I seem like we started at a benefit with both brands by having something special that filled a specific niche no one else was doing.

A lot of it starts with the brand name. Does your brand have something special that no one else is doing?

Regional Success in Brand Expansion

The 2nd thingI came from a finance background, so a lot of my knowings are more financing and data-driven versus a lot of early startup restaurateurs who are creative types. They like the food, they developed the menu, they built the brand.

They don't know their breakeven sales. They do not understand how margin enhances as sales boost. They do not comprehend cash-on-cash returns. I've seen numerous companies where the numbers simply do not work. And yet people say: let's open 10 more. And I'll state: why? It doesn't earn money. Stop. You require to discover a principle that is distinct.

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If you do not have those 2 things, you should not be constructing shops. Since as I hear your description, you've highlighted 3 things: execution, brand differentiation, and financial practicality.

Strategic Growth Targets for 2026

Second, you require an engaging brand name or distinct idea that resonates with customers. And another crucial lesson is about entering new markets.

When we expanded to Dallas, I anticipated brand-new stores to do 5070% of Phoenix sales in the very first year. Too many operators presume new markets will open at full volume day one.