Restaurant Sector Shifts Shaping 2026

Thank you. And we also have Clinton Anderson, the CEO of 4th, who will be moderating the discussion with Jason. Jason, how about I let you provide the audience some details about your background and you can likewise inform them a little bit about Chop Store. And then I'll let you take it from there, Clinton.

My name is Jason Morgan, CEO of Original Chop Store. We purchased the brand name in 2016three unitsand I have actually grown it to 26. After a quick stint of trying to be an accountant for about a year and a half, I transitioned into gambling establishment residential or commercial property and worked in corporate financing.

I was the very first employee there after personal equity purchased the service. Assisted grow that from 20 to 150 places, 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 reproduce the success we had at Zos, and we're off to a really great start.

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

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A little more complex than some of the walk-the-line concepts that are out there, however we think we've got something pretty special. We're going to add another store this year and a minimum of 4 stores next year. We will be 31 or so stores by the end of next year.

Is Scaling the Best Investment?

Hey, everybody. It's excellent to be with you once again. My name is Clinton Anderson. I'm the CEO here at 4th. I've been in this role for about six years. Fourth, as much of you understand, is a leading company of software services to the restaurant and hospitality market. Our objective is to assist our customers achieve success in driving success and being efficientmanaging labor, managing inventory, and basically offering them with tools they require to deliver their vision.

It's uncommon to have business that are cherished and growing rapidly, that can repeat that success year after year. Jason, one of the factors I was so ecstatic to have you join our session is the success at Zos was amazing. I have actually only fulfilled a handful of brand names where there was such a strong customer affinity for the brand name.

And now you're doing the very same thing at Chop Store. When you speak with consumers about Chop Store, they enjoy the place. They discuss its distinction. And to be able to take what is a reasonably complex concept in terms of delivering a great experience for the client, and have the ability to grow that from a few stores to now north of 30 stores next yearit's incredible.

We're going to discuss how to scale a restaurant business. Every restaurateur I ever talk to has dreams of taking one shop, two stores, five shops, and turning it into something much biggerexpanding throughout the city, across the state, into multiple states, and eventually nationwide, even global reach. However it's not easy, particularly in today's environment.

It's not an easy time to drive success and growth at the exact same time. How do you scale it and make it successful? Second, beyond technology, how do you scale fantastic groups?

Top Advantages of Fast Casual Expansion in 2026

The first question I have for you, Jasonlook, you've done this twice now in the restaurant industry. What has your experience been in terms of what it takes to really drive success in expanding restaurants?

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

And there's absolutely nothing exactly like Chop Store in terms of what we're doing with a big, varied menu. A lot of brands today are very singularly focused in regards to what they're providing from a foodstuff. I seem like we began at a benefit with both brand names by having something distinct that filled a niche no one else was doing.

Due to the fact that it's just more difficult to stick out when there are 10, 20, 50 concepts within a 2- or three-mile radius attempting to do the precise same thing. So a lot of it begins with the brand. Does your brand have something special that no one else is doing? That's unusual.

Key Tips for Expanding Restaurant Footprints

The second thingI came from a finance background, so a great deal of my learnings are more financing and data-driven versus a great deal of early startup restaurateurs who are creative types. They like the food, they developed the menu, they constructed the brand name. I most likely couldn't do that from scratch. If you provided me something that has all those elements in place, I can take it from there and put the playbook in location.

They don't know their breakeven sales. They do not understand how margin enhances as sales boost. They do not understand cash-on-cash returns. I've seen a lot of companies where the numbers just don't work. And yet people state: let's open 10 more. And I'll state: why? It doesn't generate income. Stop. You need to find a principle that is special.

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If you don't have those two things, you shouldn't be developing shops. Since as I hear your description, you have actually highlighted 3 things: execution, brand name distinction, and monetary practicality.

Regional Milestones in Brand Scaling

Second, you require a compelling brand or distinct principle that resonates with clients. And another key lesson is about entering new markets.

But when we expanded to Dallas, I expected new stores to do 5070% of Phoenix sales in the very first year. Too lots of operators presume new markets will open at full volume day one. That almost never ever happens. And when the stores open sluggish, but you have actually signed leases and constructed a monetary design based on greater volumes, you get overextended.