FSR April 2024

NEW PANCAKE POWERHOUSE

FUTURISTIC TECH

BEER FLAVOR PROFILES

POLISHED PASTA

THE NEXTGEN

THRōW SOCIAL FOUNDER GINGER FLESHER SONNIER IS A PIONEER IN THE COMPETITIVE EATERTAINMENT SPACE 25

PLUS

24 MORE AMBITIOUS BRANDS EMBRACING THE NEW ERA OF EXPERIENTIAL DINING

SPECIAL REPORT: TO-GO VERSUS DELIVERY DIVING INTO THE COMPLEXITIES OF OFFPREMISES OFFERINGS

Ajinomoto® Foods North America makes it easy to menu the avors of the world with premium frozen appetizers, handhelds, entrees, and sides.

Explore more global avors and menu solutions at AjinomotoFoodservice.com

Taste

Appetizers, Handhelds & Sides Crafted with Asian Heritage

Chef-Driven, Irresistibly Delicious Appetizers

Innovative Appetizers & Craveable Bites

Handhelds and Appetizers Celebrating Mexican & Latin Flavors

CONTENTS

FORMER MATH TEACHER TURNED ENTREPRENEUR, GINGER FLESHER SONNIER OF THE GINGER BRANDS KICKS OFF THIS YEAR’S NEXTGEN 25. FSR

24 The NextGen 25

These futuristic concepts are setting a new benchmark with chef-driven menus, atmospheres that draw diners into another world, and service that raises the bar for what it means to be truly taken care of.

Insert Special Report: To-Go Versus Delivery

Leaders dive into the complexities of off-premises offerings, from third-party delivery costs and virtual brand viability to packaging and how to elevate the experience outside of your four walls.

21 Savor the Sip: Beer Flavor Profiles

Discover how mastering the complexities of beer flavors can transform restaurant service, enhance food pairings, and create unforgettable dining experiences.

CHEFS & INGREDIENTS

11 Thai Tradition Meets Modern Flair

A native of Bangkok, Thailand, chef Amanda Kuntee Maneesilassan is blending ancestral flavors with modern twists.

17 Tasteful Twists on Traditional Pasta

Chefs at upscale eateries are tapping into centuries-old techniques and less familiar culinary traditions to deliver memorable pasta dishes.

THE GINGER BRANDS / NORTH ITALIA

CONTENTS

FSRmagazine.com April 2024 No. 124

FIRST COURSE

7 From Server to First Female CEO

After Farrah Scott took the helm of Trapper’s Sushi—an all-you-can-eat sushi concept with an approachable, nontraditional menu—she’s now driving the brand’s goal to expand with 100 employeeowned restaurants.

8 No Pain, No Gain

A new survey of 600 fullservice restaurant owners, CEOs, and managers across the U.S. reveals the top pain points the industry is facing this year.

BACK OF HOUSE

35 How Futuristic Tech is Revolutionizing Restaurants

YOUR TAKE Discover how extended reality is revolutionizing the restaurant industry by enhancing staff training, creating immersive menus, and offering unique sensory dining journeys.

37 The New Pancake Powerhouse

ON THE RISE Fluffy Fluffy is bringing its award-winning Japanese souffle-style pancakes and uncomplicated yet unique concept to new markets through a growing franchise program, targeting 200 locations in North America in two years.

40 Secrets of Food Festival Stardom

BEHIND THE SCENES Lee Brian Schrager, founder and director of the iconic South Beach Wine & Food Festival, reveals how he grew the event from 6,000 to 65,000 attendees (and counting), and how it benefits the next generation of chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary and hospitality students.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

4 Editor’s Welcome

39 Advertising Index

EDITORIAL

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Danny Klein dklein@wtwhmedia.com

FSR EDITOR

Callie Evergreen cevergreen@wtwhmedia.com

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ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Sam Danley sdanley@wtwhmedia.com

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DESIGN

ART DIRECTOR Erica Naftolowitz enaftolowitz@wtwhmedia.com

® SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

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FOUNDER

Webb C. Howell

Pushing for Progress

I KNOW THIS IS OUR APRIL ISSUE, but I want to take a moment to reflect back on my experience last month at our inaugural Women in Restaurant Leadership “Together Summit” in Nashville, Tennessee. March marks Women’s History Month, and I’d like to think that FSR played a role in making history with this event. We saw room for more opportunity for a national society/networking group to support, educate, and uplift women leaders in the restaurant industry—which is why we and our sister publication QSR created WiRL—or Women in Restaurant Leadership, a platform that will have programming throughout the year from print to digital to multimedia, as well as a capstone in-person, one-day event. Our goal is to provide an accessible forum, whether you’re high up in the C-level or just starting out your restaurant career, where women can network, connect, and collectively progress and move the needle forward.

To say that this year’s event was inspiring seems like an understatement. It amazes me to think about the amazing women who showed up to learn from one another, uplift each other, and not shy away from asking the hard questions, while sometimes listening to some hard truths. While there are so many lessons and learnings I’m taking away from this, there’s a core aspect that can’t be fully captured by words; it’s a kind of feeling you get from being around a collective energy that’s pushing for progress. Some thing almost spiritual. I’m looking forward to hearing more feedback that will help shape the next iteration of WiRL—from the annual event to more exciting things to come. Visit womenleadrestaurants.com to see what the agenda and amazing lineup looked like, plus more info for next year.

Turn the page to read an inspiring story of one woman who started out as a server and rose through the ranks over 11 years to become the first female CEO (PAGE 7). That brand also made it on this year’s NextGen 25 list, which spotlights the most ambitious, innovative, and experiential full-service restaurant concepts leading the charge in the NextGen Casual movement (PAGE 24).

Meanwhile, chef Amanda Kuntee Maneesilassan is blending ancestral flavors with modern twists while honoring her grandmother’s culinary heri tage at her Los Angeles restaurant, which you can read about on where across our April issue, you’ll find stories about how chefs at upscale eateries are tapping into centuries-old techniques to deliver memorable pasta dishes on PAGE 17, a new pancake powerhouse targeting 200 locations on PAGE 37, advice on mastering beer flavor profiles and educating your employees to transform service on PAGE 21, and more.

Let’s continue to push for progress across all aspects of this industry together.

Callie Evergreen EDITOR

From Server to First Female CEO

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

Over 11 years, Farrah Scott rose through the ranks at Trapper's Sushi.

FARRAH SCOTT WAS 21 YEARS OLD when she got her first gig at a full-service restaurant. Before that, she worked a myriad of odd jobs, from coffee stands and pawn shops to telemarketing. It was her first time serving tables at the Trapper’s Sushi location in Bremerton, Washington, which at the time

was a small, 1,000-square-foot restaurant. The first—originally called Sushi Town— opened in 2004 in Bonney Lake, Washington. It wasn’t long before interest grew in the non-traditional, all-you-can-eat sushi concept, which has grown to 15 units and counting in Washington, Arizona, and Texas.

Farrah Scott created an employee-owned restaurant expansion plan at Trapper’s Sushi—an allyou-can-eat sushi concept with an approachable, non-traditional menu.

ADOBE STOCK

“When I came on board as a server … I was so enamored by how fast paced it was, how if I worked hard, I could earn more hours and make more money, and my management just really recognized it. They were like, ‘Oh, you’re the best server we’ve ever had,’” she says.

“It kind of made me fall in love with the restaurant industry at just that level—the chaos that it is, but it’s controlled, it’s fun, you get to interact with so many people,” Scott adds. “That’s kind of what drew me in, and then they started offering me leadership roles.”

Within a year and a half, Scott was offered an assistant manager position, and the following year, she became general manager. She was asked to help train all the managers systemwide to make things more consistent in 2016. Scott began standardizing processes, building structure, and retraining management staff at each location. After the 12th store opened in 2021, Scott was promoted to chief operations officer. Then, on January 1, she was elevated to the top role of CEO, announced by the brand on social media which noted her “trademark doanything attitude and hard-working spirit.”

“This company has been everything to me for the last 11 years, so I've worked really hard to try to get to this level. I didn't expect to get this far, that's for sure,” Scott says.

A key part of the brand’s growth strategy is partnering with employees, who have the potential to own a restaurant through the brand’s Wingfield Program, which was founded by Scott in 2022 to foster future leaders. Employee partners have a 51 percent ownership split. “A lot of times businesses may have a mission or a purpose or something like that, but we actually are doing it and moving forward," she says. "Every decision that we're making right now is based off of getting to 100 employee-owned partnerships.”

“That’s what Trapper’s is about—just giving that extraordinary opportunity to somebody that may not have had it, including myself,” she adds.

NO PAIN NO GAIN

A survey of 600 full-service restaurant owners, CEOs, general managers, and area managers from across the U.S. reveals that despite continued headwinds and challenges, 94 percent of operators have expansion plans for 2024. According to TouchBistro’s 2024 State of Restaurants Report, the top pain points that operators are facing this year are:

INVENTORY COSTS: 58 percent of those surveyed said this was their number one concern, and 60 percent of operators reported that all or most of their suppliers have raised prices this year.

60

60%

67%

67

MENU PRICES: In response to inventory cost increases, 67 percent of restaurateurs have raised their menu prices in the past year.

STAFF TURNOVER: While the staffing shortage has eased, with roughly 82 percent saying they were short at least one position, turnover rates remain at 28 percent for all full-service restaurants and 34 percent for brands with five or more locations.

46

46%

82%

82

COMMISSION FEES: 46 percent of operators added more off-premises ordering options to boost profits, yet nearly a quarter report paying more than 20 percent in commission fees for each order.

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CULINARY INSPIRATION AND STORIES FROM INDUSTRY TRAILBLAZERS

MENTIONED IN THIS SECTION CHAO KRUNG THAI • • INDACO • •

TUK TUK THAI • • COLLETTA • • MICHAEL’S ON NAPLES

TUK TUK THAI OPENED IN SPRING OF 2022 AND SERVES SIDEWALK PAD THAI, STREET NOODLES LIKE TOM YUM NOODLE SOUP, MANY KINDS OF FRIED RICE, AND “WOK-STAR PLATES” LIKE GRAPOW, ONE OF THAILAND’S MOST POPULAR AND AUTHENTIC DISHES.

Chefs & Ingredients

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

Chef Amanda Kuntee

Maneesilassan is blending ancestral flavors with modern twists at Chao Krung Thai.

Thai Tradition Modern Flair MEETS

AMANDA KUNTEE MANEESILASSAN remembers waking up to the sound of knives chopping ingredients on a cutting board each morning, the smell of coconut wafting from her home kitchen in Bangkok, Thailand, where her grandmother taught her traditional Thai homestyle cooking. People waited in line to buy her grandma’s fried bananas from her cousin, who hung them up on a pole to display each day.

TUK TUK THAI RESTAURANT

CHEFS & INGREDIENTS CHEF PROFILE

Now, Maneesilassan is keeping her ancestors’ legacy alive by offering the same fried banana recipe at Chao Krung Thai—her family’s restaurant, which is one of the oldest Thai eateries in Los Angeles.

Maneesilassan moved to the U.S. when she was 7 years old and was raised in Los Angeles. Growing up, she helped out in her family’s restaurants, but studied business management in college before deciding to pursue a full-time culinary career.

“I grew up in the restaurant business as a child. I didn’t want to take this path, but my grandmother showed me I have a special talent,” Maneesilassan says. “I learned how to cook the family recipes quickly, and I was able to develop recipes of my own.” She learned how to make her first green curry paste at about 9 years old, for example.

Though Maneesilassan has no formal culinary training, her grandmother was not just any old teacher—she cooked for the royal family in Thailand. “She’d go in and cook whatever is requested that day, as I was told, and she’d come home every

DREAM COLLAB? Chef Roy Choi

UNDERRATED INGREDIENT?

Liquid stock

FAVORITE SPICE AT THE MOMENT? White, black, and green cardamom

BEST FERMENTED VEGETABLE?

Cabbage (sauerkraut)

FAVORITE DRINK ON YOUR MENU?

Sparkling wine

LA’S FOOD SCENE IN ONE WORD?

International

day,” Maneesilassan says. “At the same time, she also cooked and served us food to make sure that everybody had food on the table. And whatever ingredients she used is what we have; for instance, fried banana, we have a banana tree, we have a coconut tree—we have all this that we don’t have to buy.”

Maneesilassann partnered with her sister, Katy Noochlaor, to open several other Thai restaurants in Los Angeles over the years, including Tuk Tuk Thai, Chadaka Thai in Burbank, and Soi56. When her parents expressed the desire to retire in 2015, she came back to help out at Chao Krung, which was the second Thai restaurant to open in Los Angeles.

“We had multiple restaurants, and it was just so hard to keep up, and the rent was high, and we wanted to tone down the restaurant empire and try to just work and actually have a life, not running to every restaurant trying to manage every kitchen,” Maneesilassann says. “Working here again, I saw the love and the family here because I grew up here, and from then on we started really working on the menu, making it very authentic

WHEN IT FIRST OPENED IN 1976, CHAO KRUNG ATTRACTED LINES OF CUSTOMERS WAITING OUTSIDE TO SAMPLE THE “EXOTIC” TASTES OF THAILAND.

CHEF AMANDA KUNTEE MANEESILASSAN

CHAO KRUNG THAI RESTAURANT (4)

•

•

•

CHEFS & INGREDIENTS CHEF PROFILE

and creating simple recipes to stand out.”

When it first opened in 1976, Chao Krung attracted lines of customers waiting outside to sample the “exotic” tastes of Thailand. Highlighting flavors from recipes passed down through the generations, the menu at Chao Krung features small plates like Kai Satay “Chicken Satay” marinated in lemongrass with galangal, turmeric, cumin seed, and coriander seeds (soaked overnight in condensed milk and coconut milk), served with cucumber relish and peanut sauce; as well as classic dishes with Maneesilassann’s fingerprint on it, like her Kaeng Keiw Wann “Thai Green Curry”—a Central Thai-style spicy curry, with a hint of sweetness made with green Thai chilies, kaffir lime, coconut milk, Thai eggplant, jalapeños, and sweet basil.

CHEF

AMANDA

KUNTEE

MANEESILASSAN PARTNERED WITH HER SISTER, KATY NOOCHLAOR, TO OPEN SEVERAL THAI RESTAURANTS IN LOS ANGELES OVER THE YEARS, INCLUDING CHADAKA THAI AND SOI56.

She’s not shy about using a lot of spice and herbs, which sets Chao Krung apart from other Thai eateries in the area, she says. “My family background, they’re heavy in herbs and spice. They make sure that all the ingredients are there, even though we put like just a half a teaspoon of one in a big bag,” Maneesilassann notes. “I put more than enough and make sure that the aroma is there, the freshness of the curry paste is there, and it actually pays off because the customers do feel it—the love, the freshness of the curry, and it’s just different from other Thai places.”

From fragrant lemongrass to fiery bird’s eye chili, Maneesilassann selects each ingredient carefully, and says she plays around a lot with spices to make dishes her own. And when she has the

chance to return to Thailand, she brings inspiration and ideas back with her. An example was in 2016 when she introduced a Kaeng Hung-Ley curry, a rich pork belly curry popular in Northern Thailand. “At the time when I made this

“To be able to present a meal to customers and friends that they enjoy so much gives me a sense of pride and satisfaction. That’s what made me want to pursue a life where I could continue to spread [joy] through delicious food.”

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“We had multiple restaurants, and it was just so hard to keep up, and the rent was high, and we wanted to tone down the restaurant empire and try to just work and actually have a life, not running to every restaurant trying to manage every kitchen.”

wine and they order more food,” she says. “The wine and beer pairings really help elevate Thai food.”

Speaking of imbibing, another standout menu item is the Pad Kee Mow Noodles or Spicy Drunken Noodles with broad rice noodles, onions, bell peppers, sweet basil, tomatoes, fresh chilies, and garlic in oyster sauce, which they labeled as “a great hangover cure.”

Maneesilassann’s other Los Angeles restaurant, Tuk Tuk Thai, opened in spring of 2022 and serves sidewalk Pad Thai, street noodles like Tom Yum Noodle Soup, many kinds of fried rice, and “Wok-Star Plates” like Grapow, one of Thailand’s most popular and authentic dishes with spicy chopped meat, stirfired long beans with garlic, chiles, holy basil, and chile fish sauce with a choice of protein (mushroom, chicken, pork shoulder, beef top sirloin, or shrimp).

everybody loves pork belly, but now it’s so famous. Everybody comes for the crispy pork belly,” she says.

She made the curry paste with pickled garlic, ginger, a lot of lemongrass, and Puya chiles, which she had to hunt down before finally finding it in a warehouse that supplies fresh peppers. “I was able to get the orange color that I want

hit, too,” she recalls.

Maneesilassann’s husband helps to curate the wine and draft beer menu at Chao Krung Thai with a lot of whites and sparkling options that pair nicely with the menu. “It really helps the customer enjoy the food more, and they hang out and sit longer and enjoy the environment. They’ll order a whole bottle of

“Tuk Tuk Thai is more fun with big menus. It’s more like a quick in and out if you want a taste of Thai foods done right,” Maneesilassann says. “I would say it’s more of a cafe-style, quick, easy lunch and dinner, versus for Chao Krung, it’s more of OK, now we’re going deep into each dish, the recipes, everything that’s me and more spot on, this is what I want to present how Thai food can actually be elevated.”

The most rewarding parts of her career so far have been making her family proud, and developing her leadership skills and helping her chefs and employees learn to grow and succeed after working with her. “Having an employee who’s a dishwasher, training him to prep and cook beside me, and now he’s a partner at one of my ghost kitchens, and he actually runs it,” Maneesilassann says. “Seeing him own his own business—that’s something he always wanted to do—and seeing him happy with the job, it just makes me very proud.”

“To be able to present a meal to customers and friends that they enjoy so much gives me a sense of pride and satisfaction. That’s what made me want to pursue a life where I could continue to spread [joy] through delicious food,” she adds.

FROM CHAO KRUNG’S TOM KHA SOUP (ABOVE) TO TUK TUK THAI’S KHAO SOI NOODLE SOUP (RIGHT), CHEF MANEESILASSAN PLAYS WITH SPICES AND OFFERS A FRESH TAKE WITH HER DISHES.

Tasteful Twists on Traditional Pasta

BY SAM DANLEY

Restaurants are embracing time-honored techniques to introduce a wider variety of pasta shapes.

WITH MODERN DINERS craving novelty and adventure, delving into the depths of Italy’s regional diversity offers restaurants the chance to offer something new without reinventing the wheel.

Chefs at upscale eateries can tap into centuries-old techniques and less familiar culinary traditions to deliver memorable pasta dishes.

“There’s been a huge uptick in the variety of pasta shapes over the last ten years or so,” says Mark Bolchoz, culinary director of Italian concepts at The Indigo Road

Hospitality Group. “A lot of them have been around for centuries and are now becoming popular because people are digging deeper and doing more research.”

Bolchoz manages culinary programming for all of Indigo Road’s Italian restaurants, overseeing the menus at both Indaco and Colletta, two growing chains known for their locally sourced ingredients and selection of fresh pastas.

Offering only handmade pastas allows chefs to control every aspect of the process, including selecting the best flour and

eggs from local suppliers and controlling the humidity to get the perfect texture and consistency. From a creative aspect, it gives them the ability to flavor and color their creations using vegetable purees.

“That plays into a dish when things get a little monochromatic,” Bolchoz says. “Being able to flavor our own pasta with spinach or collard greens that we powdered or pureed and worked into the dough, being able to have that added pop of green in the dead of winter—that’s really important for us.”

MICHAEL’S ON NAPLES

MICHAEL’S ON NAPLES HAS A DAILY PASTA TASTING MENU THAT IS REGULARLY UPDATED WITH NEW DISHES. THAT’S WHERE EXECUTIVE CHEF ERIC SAMANIEGO AND HIS TEAM PUSH THE ENVELOPE AND BRING IN A CALIFORNIA TWIST.

“I love following old recipes, then finding out how things were done years ago, and then trying to replicate that. We try to balance those classical dishes, traditional techniques and simplicity in the ingredients with newer flavor combinations that are a bit more contemporary.”

MICHAEL’S

Each team runs their own menus, but the loose formula is for every restaurant to have an even mix of stuffed, short pastas, and long options. Different sauces go with different shapes of pasta, so if the offerings skew too heavily toward one of those categories, chefs can back themselves into a corner when it comes to the types of sauces they can offer.

Bolchoz and his teams at Indaco and Colletta pull from various regions throughout Italy when developing new menu items. A favorite across Indaco locations is scarpinocc, which hails from northern Italy and features an indentation in the middle for catching sauce.

The restaurants tend to stick pretty close to their source material, but Indaco in particular has some elements of Southern flare sprinkled throughout the menu. Bolchoz points to agnolotti summer corn as an example. The seasonal best-seller combines elements of Southern-style creamed corn with a stuffed pasta from Italy’s Piedmont region.

Michael’s on Naples, an upscale restaurant in Long Beach, California, offers a similarly extensive array of pasta shapes, all prepared in house daily with fresh dough. Whether it’s fluffy gnocchi with tender short rib; pappardelle with white wine, squash, and goat cheese; or mezzaluna filled with duck neck and ricotta, executive chef Eric Samaniego aims for authenticity and specificity when putting together his dishes.

Determining which shapes make it on the menu is mostly a matter of logistics. Since the pasta is made each morning, Samaniego has to consider what his team can accomplish in a limited amount of time.

“It can’t just be all of these really small, intricately folded pastas with different fillings,” he says. “There’s usually one or two of those, so we can show off our skills. There’s always an extruded pasta, like spaghetti or bucatini, that can be produced a bit faster, and then there’s always a hand-cut pasta, like tagliatelle or pappardelle.”

Italian cuisine is hyper regional, which means there’s never a shortage of lesser-known options to explore, he adds.

“I love following old recipes, then finding out how things were done years ago, and then trying to replicate that,” Samaniego says. “We try to balance those classical dishes, traditional techniques and simplicity in the ingredients

lini are kind of similar, so I started thinking about dim sum. Then, I started thinking about shumai, where you steam the dumpling and see the filling out of the top. It still has those crimped edges with the filling in the middle, but it’s not com-

with newer flavor combinations that are a bit more contemporary.”

Michael’s on Naples has a daily pasta tasting menu that is regularly updated with new dishes. That’s where Samaniego and his team push the envelope and bring in a California twist. He points to a girasole pasta dish as an example. Filled with shrimp and spicy Calabrian sausage, the pasta takes its name from the Italian word for sunflower, thanks to its crimped, folded edges.

“I wanted to make it special and different from a ravioli or a tortellini,” Samaniego says. “Dumplings and tortel-

pletely encased in dough. Now, we have a steamed dumpling on a pasta tasting menu, and it fits right into place. It’s still a tiein to pasta. It’s still made with Italian ingredients. It’s not quite fusion cooking, but it’s definitely flirting with that line a bit.”

While he’s found success blending tradition with contemporary touches, the chef is a firm believer that timehonored, rustic recipes can be equally memorable. He encourages chefs not to overthink their dishes and let the ingredients shine.

“There’s beauty in simplicity, and you can get lost trying to elevate it too high,” Samaniego says. “The right ingredients, the right technique to make the pasta, and the final presentation will always elevate any dish.”

ANN PACKWOOD / MICHAEL’S ON NAPLES

SPECIAL REPORT

DELIVERY

NextGen Casual brand leaders dive into the complexities of off-premises offerings, from third-party delivery costs and virtual brand viability to packaging and how to elevate the customer experience outside of your four walls.

rior to the pandemic, North Italia didn’t even have online ordering, much less delivery. “Off-premises wasn’t a big part of the business prior to COVID happening,” admits DJ Duporte, marketing director of the emerging Italian brand that’s grown to nearly 40 locations. He continues, “It was such a big opportunity for the team to not just capitalize on this opportunity to get in front of more guests, knowing that we couldn't get people into the building, but how are we going to personalize that experience and make sure that we're doing everything in our power to make the experience that you're getting during takeout or to-go just as incredible as what you would be getting

THOUGH OFFERING DELIVERY COMES WITH ITS FAIR SHARE OF CHALLENGES, MEETING CUSTOMERS WHERE THEY’RE AT IS A DRIVING FACTOR.

inside in the restaurant? So there are so many processes that got put into place just to make sure that it was seamless.”

Created by Sam Fox under Fox Restaurant Concepts, which was acquired by The Cheesecake Factory in 2019, North Italia is a NextGen Casual brand focused on crafting the future of modern Italian dining. The company has come a long way since the start of the pandemic, and now has a partnership with third-party delivery platform DoorDash. Duporte says the exposure from the platform and the ability to find new guests has been worth it, always with the goal of converting those off-premises guests into in-restaurant guests.

But as most restaurant operators know, offering delivery comes with its fair share of challenges, from elevated costs and food safety con-

cerns to packaging and how to elevate the customer experience outside of your four walls. Those are just a few of the reasons why some larger casual-dining brands like Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse have refused to do delivery for so long.

“It's interesting that a lot of full-service restaurants have kind of strayed away from delivery, because I get it—it's probably not the best representation of your products when you want it on a beautiful plate and people are paying $50, $40 for something that's coming in a takeout container and they might need to heat up when they get home,” Duporte says.

“But I think it's recognizing that we have to be where our guests are, right? And unfortunately, that isn't always inside of our restaurants,” he adds. “Why wouldn't we do everything in our power to make sure that

“ Why wouldn't we do everything in our power to make sure that that delivery experience, that to-go experience, is as close as our in-restaurant experience as possible?”

that delivery experience, that to-go experience, is as close as our in-restaurant experience as possible?”

For Jon Taffer—the star of Paramount Network’s “Bar Rescue,” and founder of emerging pub franchise Taffer’s Tavern—delivery is unavoidable.

“Delivery is too significant, and you can’t ignore it today. The question is, how do you do it in a profitable way? And how do you do it in a way that doesn’t take away from inperson visits?” Taffer says. “If you’ve got the greatest hamburger in town, you really don’t want to deliver it, you really want them to come in and get it, because that’s where you can make your money.”

Jon Taffer

STAR OF PARAMOUNT NETWORK’S “BAR RESCUE” AND FOUNDER Taffer’s Tavern

Kırımgeray Kirimli DIRECTOR Flatiron Software Co

Liz Moskow

FOOD FUTURIST AND PRINCIPAL Bread&Circus Ltd

Jeremy Edmonds

VP OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE Snooze, an AM Eatery

Greg Graber CEO Heritage Restaurant Brands

Brandy Blackwell

VP OF MARKETING

Another Broken Egg Cafe

Christine Lorusso

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

As far as third-party delivery services go, Taffer doesn’t want to “beat a dead horse, [but] they’re expensive. Sometimes the food doesn't get there quick enough, we can't control the temperature of its arrival, etc. So it's a little shaky. I wish we didn't have to do it, to be honest with you,” he says, “because sometimes I think that the brand risk and the impact has almost as many negatives as the Featuring insight from:

revenues are positive. But that said, you have to do it today because it is a reasonable revenue source.”

Deciding between third-party delivery platforms and building a custom app hinges on an operator’s overall goals, budget, and longterm strategy, says Kırımgeray Kirimli, director of Flatiron Software Co. Custom apps offer greater control over brand image and customer experience, he says. “Unlike third-party platforms that present a standardized interface, a custom app allows them to showcase their unique brand identity, design, and features.”

“For instance, if a restaurant values direct customer relationships and wants to implement exclusive loyalty programs, promotions, or discounts, a custom app becomes a strategic choice. It empowers them to build a direct connection, gather valuable customer data, and adjust marketing strategies based on individual preferences,” Kirimli adds.

Cai Palmiter

VP OF MARKETING JINYA Holdings

Geo Concepcion

PRESIDENT AND CEO

The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille and ITA Group Holdings

DJ Duporte MARKETING DIRECTOR North Italia

However, to offset the challenges of limited visibility and user base up front, brands should integrate a robust marketing strategy to drive traffic if they’re going the custom food delivery app route, Kirimli advises. “Strategic marketing, exclusive promotions, and a focus on user experience can help restaurants overcome these downsides and build a loyal customer base on their custom apps.”

Taffer adds, “as restaurateurs, this is the world today, and we have to understand that. But dare I say to us all, if we can’t create the kind of inhouse experiences—video, music, pace, energy, fun; or upscale, elegant, slower pace, right environment, intimacy—if we can’t create the environments to get people to get off their couches and come to our facility, shame on us.”

Limited menus and other trends

One trend that food futurist Liz Moskow is seeing in the off-premises

FIREBIRDS WOOD FIRED GRILL / NORTH ITALIA (2)

rior to the pandemic, North Italia didn’t even have online ordering, much less delivery. “Off-premises wasn’t a big part of the business prior to COVID happening,” admits DJ Duporte, marketing director of the emerging Italian brand that’s grown to nearly 40 locations.

He continues, “It was such a big opportunity for the team to not just capitalize on this opportunity to get in front of more guests, knowing that we couldn't get people into the building, but how are we going to personalize that experience and make sure that we're doing everything in our power to make the experience that you're getting during takeout or to-go just as incredible as what you would be getting inside in the restaurant? So there are so many processes that got put into place just to make sure that it was seamless.”

Created by Sam Fox under Fox Restaurant Concepts, which was acquired by The Cheesecake Factory in 2019, North Italia is a NextGen Casual brand focused on crafting the future of modern Italian dining. The company has come a long way since the start of the pandemic, and now has a partnership with third-party delivery platform DoorDash. Duporte says the exposure from the platform and the ability to find new guests has been worth it, always with the goal of converting those off-premises guests into in-restaurant guests.

But as most restaurant operators know, offering delivery comes with its fair share of challenges, from elevated costs and food safety concerns to packaging and how to elevate the customer experience outside of your four walls. Those are just a few of the reasons why some larger casual-dining brands like Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse have refused to do delivery for so long.

“It's interesting that a lot of full-service restaurants have kind of strayed away from delivery, because I get it—

it's probably not the best representation of your products when you want it on a beautiful plate and people are paying $50, $40 for something that's coming in a takeout container and they might need to heat up when they get home,” Duporte says.

“But I think it's recognizing that we have to be where our guests are, right? And unfortunately, that isn't always inside of our restaurants,” he adds. “Why wouldn't we do everything in our power to make sure that that delivery experience, that to-go experience, is as close as our in-restaurant experience as possible?”

For Jon Taffer—the star of Paramount Network’s “Bar Rescue,” and founder of emerging pub franchise Taffer’s Tavern—delivery is unavoidable.

“Delivery is too significant, and you can’t ignore it today. The question is, how do you do it in a profitable way? And how do you do it in a way that doesn’t take away from in-

“People are savvy. We know fries don’t travel well. So you’re either somebody who’s willing to accept that, or you don’t order delivery and you go pick it up.”

person visits?” Taffer says. “If you’ve got the greatest hamburger in town, you really don’t want to deliver it, you really want them to come in and get it, because that’s where you can make your money.”

As far as third-party delivery services go, Taffer doesn’t want to “beat a dead horse, [but] they’re expensive. Sometimes the food doesn't get there quick enough, we can't control the temperature of its arrival, etc. So it's a little shaky. I wish we didn't have to do it, to be honest with you,” he says, “because sometimes I think that the brand

risk and the impact has almost as many negatives as the revenues are positive. But that said, you have to do it today because it is a reasonable revenue source.”

Deciding between third-party delivery platforms and building a custom app hinges on an operator’s overall goals, budget, and long-term strategy, says Kırımgeray Kirimli, director of Flatiron Software Co. Custom apps offer greater control over brand image and customer experience, he says. “Unlike third-party platforms that present a standardized interface, a custom app allows them to showcase their unique brand identity, design, and features.”

“For instance, if a restaurant values direct customer relationships and wants to implement exclusive loyalty programs, promotions, or discounts, a custom app becomes a strategic choice. It empowers them to build a direct connection, gather valuable customer data, and adjust

NORTH ITALIA’S OFFPREMISES STRATEGY FOCUSES ON FINDING NEW GUESTS, THEN CONVERTING THEM TO IN-RESTAURANT CUSTOMERS.

NORTH ITALIA

NORTH ITALIA

are grappling with is how to direct consumers to their first-party delivery ordering sites, especially when Google can pick a third-party delivery service provider (dsp) it has a partnership with in certain markets, adds Christine Lorusso, senior director of digital marketing at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill.

“So that's one struggle that we've come to find, and the way that we look at it at Firebirds is more like we have to be on all of the DSPs because that's just the world that we live in today,” she says. “And the guests that are the DoorDash customer or the Uber Eats customer, they're going to be loyal to that delivery platform because they're earning those points, they're not our guests, so we're going to take them at the inflated price point, [and] we're going to appreciate their business.”

“But any guest of ours—whether they're dine-in, whether they're part of our loyalty program—we don't even talk about third-party delivery at all. We drive everybody back to our own site,” she adds. “We really focus on crafting a menu and incentives where you can only get certain categories or items when you order directly from us versus from those other partners, and just try to strategically drive them back over to our own channels.”

A large driver of that strategy, aside from the costs and inconvenience, is the ability to access guest data. “None of those partners share the data back with you unless they're filtering in through our own online ordering system,” Lorusso notes, “so we don't even have access to that guest data, and that's unfortunate. It's a lot to manage and a lot to overcome, but just making sure that we put our brand first and foremost I think is the way to go for sure.”

For Cai Palmiter, VP of marketing at JINYA Ramen Bar, the most difficult part of navigating to-go and

“Delivery is too significant, and you can’t ignore it today. The question is, how do you do it in a profitable way? And how do you do it in a way that doesn’t take away from in-person visits?”

delivery is ensuring customers have a similar food experience as they would get dining in.

“With us, we tell you how to eat your ramen when you get to the restaurant. Those bowls that you have are made from Japan that can hold heat; outside, you don’t feel the heat, but inside, your server will ask you to stir it from the bottom so the heat rises, and that’s how you actually fully enjoy the ramen,” she says. “How do you do that [with off-premises]? We have to come up with a little QR code on your to-go bag that says how to eat your ramen, or how to heat up your ramen.”

Are virtual brands still viable?

Geo Concepcion “tried everything under the sun” during the pandemic’s survival mode and subsequent turnaround period—including trying out a couple virtual restaurants

and ghost kitchens. “I was a huge proponent and had high hopes for those,” he admits. Concepcion joined the Greene Turtle in 2019 and led the company through the pandemic, positioning it for the most rapid rate of growth in the company’s 46-year history.

But now, the tide is turning. “I’ll call it the trend of, people still love to work in their pajamas, but not spend as much, and so that’s sort of shifting the dynamic,” Concepcion says.

“We've seen huge declines in overall to-go sales. The virtual concepts are almost irrelevant right now. And so our focus is sort of much more on the dining experience and bringing people in,” he adds. “I think for us, it's just been a double sort of shift on the delivery side.”

Moskow previously helped create virtual restaurant companies while serving as VP of brand development for Nextbite, and shares how in the early days of virtual brand creation, “you went in skeptical that this was ever going to work because of all the layers and complications in terms of delivering consistency to the end consumer,” she says.

“Now you have not just the delivery aspect that's delivering food that's subpar, you have restaurant operators who are unvetted dealing with concepts that aren’t their bread and butter, so to speak, and so I don't think there was enough time to work out kinks,” Moskow continues. “The virtual brands, I think, spread themselves so thin and picked sort of any operator to kind of deliver that concept.”

She adds, “circling back from the beginning, the incarnation of the virtual brand is almost just that reduced menu for off-premises of what your core competency really is, as opposed to creating brands that don't align with what you actually do in-house.”

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

JON TAFFER S:9.875" T:10.875" B:11.125"

Sip:Savor the Understanding BEER

Flavor Profiles

Discover how mastering the complexities of beer flavors can transform restaurant service, enhance food pairings, and create unforgettable dining experiences.

BY KRISTEN KUCHAR From bitter and hoppy to crisp and fizzy, the deceptively simple notion of “beer flavors” encompasses a nuanced concept essential for restaurant and bar operators to master if they want to curate a strong beer program. It’s vital to understand what goes into the flavor profiles of beer to ensure the best service and guest experience; a strong understanding of beer flavors equips bartenders and servers with the confidence and knowledge to accurately portray and explain those offerings to guests, suggest pairings

for food items, and prevent the service of stale or flawed beers.

Jeff Tyler, owner of Spice Trade Brew ery & Kitchen in Greenwood Village, Col orado, explains beer flavor is a combi nation of many factors, including taste perceived with the tongue (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami); mouthfeel (tingly from carbonation, thin, and dry versus syrupy); and aroma.

“Aroma can be overlooked, but is prob ably the most important,” Tyler says. The Brewers Association lists many possi ble aromas that contribute to taste in beer, such as malts—including bread flour, biscuit, caramel, and toast; hops—including citrus, tropical, fruity, and spruce; phenols—clove, vanilla, and cinnamon; esters—apple, apricot, peach, and pineapple; and alcohol—mild, strong, or not detectable.

Tyler spends a great deal of time training staff on base beer styles and flavors, along with conducting tastings every time a new beer is released. Staff each go their separate ways to taste and take notes, which is helpful because everyone has different sensitivities and picks out certain things. “It’s a great way to get a whole picture of what the flavor is,” Tyler says. Then they come back and compare those notes to the actual flavor description of the beer.

great way to understand the standard flavor profile for the style.

It’s also important to talk about the individual components—barley, hops, the type of yeast, and other specific ingredients that impact flavor. “You can’t describe something without understanding the components,” Tyler says.

For restaurants starting a beer list, he advises operators to make sure it’s accessible with a good base of styles, including a Light Lager, at least one IPA, something malty like an Amber, Brown, Porter, or Stout, and then branch out from there.

To help educate servers, he suggests comparing a beer on your menu with other examples of the same style. If you’re offering a German Pilsner, for example, go out and buy four versions and sample them side by side, detecting and describing subtle nuances. This works on building a vocabulary and a reference point to that style. Reviewing the

Patrick Combs, Master Cicerone and director of liquids at Howdy Beer and Stem Ciders, says training your palate for beer flavor is the same way you train for any other physical activity—repetition. “As you learn to become a more thoughtful taster, you begin to notice more elements that lend complexity,” he says. “You also start to notice negative elements that detract from the overall experience.”

He explains understanding the unique characteristics of what makes each beer different from the other is vital. “This should extend to a nuanced comprehension of how different beers pair with various dishes on the menu, enhancing both the service experience and opening the potential for upselling,” he says. Equip servers to offer customers evocative flavor descriptions for each beer on tap, drawing parallels to familiar tastes, aromas, or experiences, he adds.

“Continuous learning is key; engage

training. Most are more than willing to help provide educational opportunities,” Combs suggests.

At Stone Brewing in Southern California, team training includes education on beer styles with flavors and characteristics, along with reviewing food pairings, highlighting examples of good and bad pairings. Gregg Frazer, Stone Brewing’s senior vice president of hospitality, says they also discuss the impact of temperature on both taste and aroma, which leads into the conversation on the importance of the appropriate serving temperature.

“Carbonation also has a significant impact on both the mouthfeel and the body of beer, and we look at different styles with different carbonation levels and discuss how that can impact flavor and taste,” Frazer adds. In addition to educating staff, Frazer says restaurants can also incorporate these concepts by adding information on tasting notes and styles to the beer menu and hosting beer tasting events with themed menus.

EQUIP SERVERS TO OFFER EVOCATIVE FLAVOR DESCRIPTIONS FOR EACH BEER ON TAP, DRAWING PARALLELS TO FAMILIAR TASTES, AROMAS, OR EXPERIENCES.

At Moody Tongue in Chicago, beer pairings are recommended when it enhances the dining experience. A beer pairing may help highlight or complement particular flavors and aromatics within a dish, says Jared Rouben, brewmaster. Rouben explains the best pairings are not necessarily the most complicated or esoteric, but may bridge flavors and aromatics from what guests find in a glass to those on the plate.

“For example, at Moody Tongue Sushi in New York, we might bridge notes between our Orange Blossom Belgian Blonde and our madai nigiri with orange zest and sea salt; or, at The Dining Room in Chicago, we might bridge notes between our Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner and lemon ricotta agnolotti

“Carbonation also has a significant impact on both the mouthfeel and the body of beer, and we look at different styles with different carbonation levels and discuss how that can impact flavor and taste.”

with shaved black truffles,” Rouben says, adding that the most important part of the pairing experience is the explanation as to how it was decided and why it works. “Every pairing has a reason, and it’s important for our team to share this story with our guests.”

Understanding how to taste beer has the potential to have a huge impact on service, notes Jen Blair, Master Cicerone and exam manager for the Cicerone Certification Program. Evaluating beer is a quality control measure, and if a beer is old or has off flavors, it should not be served. Understanding how to taste beer is also a great marketing opportunity, she adds. “Having a restaurant staff with a great, evocative beer vocabulary is going to help sell more beer and also opens the door for suggesting food pairings,” Blair says. It also means that the restaurant staff is building trust with the customers because they can confidently describe how a beer will taste and can also make suggestions to elevate the beer as well as the food menu.

THE BEST PAIRINGS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE MOST COMPLICATED OR ESOTERIC, BUT MAY BRIDGE FLAVORS AND AROMATICS FROM WHAT GUESTS FIND IN A GLASS TO THOSE ON THE PLATE.

“Fostering a culture on continuing education around beer is the best way to incorporate beer tasting into operations,” Blair says. If there’s a pre-shift meeting, have staff taste new beers and talk about descriptive language. Create one-pagers on the different beers on tap (most distributors and breweries already provide this) and keep them somewhere where everyone on staff can review them. Develop a beer basics training that new servers complete as part of their onboarding. Provide ongoing beer education training, such as what makes an ale different from a lager. Survey your servers to see what kinds of questions they are getting from customers and provide training on those questions.

There are many resources available when it comes to learning more about beer flavor and proper tasting, including online educational resources with the Brewers Association, training programs with the Certified Cicerone Program, and books like “Tasting Beer” by Randy Mosher. The more you mindfully taste beer and explore those flavors, the easier it will be to understand.

JORDAN BALDERAS / HARD KNOCH PR / MICHAEL MARQUAND

NEXTGEN THE

BY FSR STAFF

Ambition, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of excellence are the qualities that mark the true trailblazers in the restaurant world. As we cast a spotlight on this year's NextGen 25 brands, we're not just talking about restaurants; we're welcoming a new era in full-service dining. The NextGen 25 movement is redefining hospitality and the very essence of eating out by merging cutting-edge culinary artistry with experiences that resonate and connect with guests. These brands are setting a new benchmark with menus that intrigue and inspire, atmospheres that draw diners into another world, and service that raises the bar for what it means to be truly taken care of.

Whether these brands are at one or 100 units, eyeing the franchise horizon, or courting the next big investors, each brand in our NextGen 25 list brings something unique to the table. Though their growth strategies may differ, the end goal is the same: to revolutionize the full-service restaurant industry. A

The BrandsGinger

DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA

UNITS: 5

FOUNDED: 2014

Leading the pack of this year’s NextGen 25 is The Ginger Brands, known for its experiential dining and entertainment concepts that go far beyond the ordinary. Let’s take THRōW Social, for example: The brand’s catchphrase “let’s get flocked up” works on a few different levels—one of which alludes to a phrase about drinking that isn’t quite appropriate to print in a magazine. But when you look at the literal meaning of “flock,” it means to congregate in a large group, and that’s exactly what the tropical-themed live music bar is designed to do.

Cabanas, covered rooftop decks, and outdoor patios are the picturesque settings designed for guests to enjoy while playing games together like light-up ping pong and shuffleboard, beer pong, darts, corn hole, giant Jenga, and Connect Four. Customers can sip craft cocktails and even share a fishbowl with two or three friends while snapping pics for Instagram at one of THRōW Social’s many photo op areas. The brand exemplifies the postCOVID trend of experience being paramount as restaurants compete for din-

GINGER FLESHER SONNIER THE GINGER BRANDS (4)

ers’ dwindling dollars in the face of economic pressures. In a nutshell: it’s the party you don’t need an invitation to.

Now let’s meet the mind behind all the magic: Ginger Flesher Sonnier, a high school math teacher turned entrepreneur, starting with elevated escape room venues. “I kept creating, taking all my profits and putting it back to make sure we had a gorgeous, boutique, hotel-looking lobby, so people could host events … I just noticed the experiential part of it, and I decided to add a bar. I thought, ‘what would make this super fun?’”

Thus launched the beginning of The Ginger Brands, which has since grown to encompass Kick Axe Throwing—the first urban axe-throwing lodge to open in New York City in 2017—and, of course, THRōW Social, which opened its first location in Washington, D.C., its second unit in Delray Beach, Florida; and will soon open a third spot in Miami.

The idea of Kick Axe Throwing came from Flesher Sonnier’s desire to completely revamp the typical axe-throwing venues. A cozy fireplace, plaid chairs, and leather-tufted sofas made for a much more welcoming and approachable vibe, particularly for women, and after opening in Brooklyn, Kick Axe Throwing expanded to Washington, D.C. (on the bottom floor below THRōW Social in a duel unit), and Philadelphia.

Kick Axe Throwing was

her first venture into the food side of things, which she was afraid to enter into at first since she doesn’t have a background in restaurants—other than working at a McDonald’s when she was 14 years old and as a hostess at a Ground Round Grill & Bar.

“I got a little bit braver, once we opened the axethrowing venues. I began to think ahead—wouldn't it be cool to do something even more feminine that is not focused on just axe throwing or escape rooms or one activity? And that's when I thought of THRōW Social,” she says. “I really felt like I hit a niche. There were people looking for unique places visually to spend time in and unique

activities, but they didn't want to sacrifice on the food and beverage either.”

THRōW Social’s third location in Miami is set to open in spring of 2024 and will be about three times as large as the Delray Beach location, Flesher Sonnier says. Her team is also looking at expanding into cities like Nashville, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas; and Los Angeles.

Robert Sweers, executive vice president of the company, notes that THRōW Social Delray “did about $15 million in the first year, and we were throwing about $3.1 million to $3.2 million to the line after you take out all the top line for your corporate, and that's a num-

ber that's unheard of in the restaurant business.”

Though Flesher Sonnier sold the escape room side of her business to The Escape Game in 2021, it gave her more bandwidth to move forward with her other concepts.

“As we grow, we want to add more brands and concepts to it, all original at this point, because I feel like I have that unique touch in creating something that’s unique and desirable,” she says.

“I love also that our venues span so many demographics. On the weekend day, you'll see kids in there, and then on a Saturday night, you'll also see 21-year-olds and 70-yearolds, both dancing out on the dance floor. And it's just so cool,” she adds.

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

THE GINGER BRANDS

THROW SOCIAL

Lazy Dog Restaurants

COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA

UNITS: 48

FOUNDED: 2003

Lazy Dog couples a laidback vibe—influenced by the Rocky Mountain lifestyle where founder Chris Simms spent time with family growing up—with accelerated expansion plans. The chain to date has scaled through California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, Virginia, Florida, and Texas,

and has six sites picked and ready to hit the market in 2024 (two in Texas, two in Illinois, a store in Nevada, and an opening apiece in Colorado and California). Lazy Dog continues to resonate for its approachable menu, wide selection of cocktails and craft beer, and some offbeat activations, like hand-crafted TV dinners made in-house and Lazy Dog’s Beer Club, a quarterly membership program that gives members access to smallbatch specialty beers, merchandise, and in-restaurant benefits.

Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar

PLANO, TEXAS

FOUNDED: 2010 UNITS: 10

Part of FB Society’s growing portfolio, Whiskey Cake is an American neighborhood tavern concept with a focus on locally sourced, farmfresh food, like pork ribs and chicken and waffles, and its namesake dish, Whiskey Cake—sticky toffee cake with bourbon anglaise, spiced pecans, and topped with house made vanilla whipped cream, plus garden-toclass whiskey-forward cocktails.

solita Tacos & Margaritas

CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA (XPERIENCE RESTAURANT GROUP)

FOUNDED: 2014 UNITS: 6

XRG, the parent company of El Torito and Chevys Fresh Mex, among oth -

ers, acquired Sol Cocina and solita Tacos & Margaritas in late 2019. The former was founded in Newport Beach more than a decade ago by chef Deborah Schneider. solita arrived in 2014 and scaled to six units with an agave bar that features

more than 70 of Mexico’s finest small-batch tequilas and mezcals, including the chain’s signature single-barrel tequila, curated and blended specially for solita. The brand features “charro tacos” cooked using an oak-fired Santa Maria grill and smoker. There are also more than 20 different fresh-made salsas.

Pacific Catch

CORTE MADERA, CALIFORNIA

FOUNDED: 2003 UNITS: 14

This eco-friendly fish house is a Bay Area classic, incorporating flavors of the Pacific Ocean in its sushi bar, poke bowls, and wave-to-table seafood grill. After being featured in an Apple ad in 2007, the brand hit it big and has been a leader in sustainable fishing practices ever since, growing up and down the California coast.

PACIFIC CATCH

Fox Bros Bar-B-Q

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

FOUNDED: 2007 UNITS: 5

What started as a catering business is now a local empire for twin brothers Jonathan and Justin Fox. They opened the first Fox Bros Bar-BQ restaurant in Atlanta in 2007 alongside partner Beau Nolen, and have since expanded with two additional fullservice locations and a “Que’Osk” walk-up window. The brand’s Texasstyle smoked meats also are served at a taproom inside Atlanta’s Truist Park baseball stadium.

Flying Biscuit Cafe

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

FOUNDED: 1993 UNITS: 33

Flying Biscuit’s first cafe sold out of its signature biscuits in four hours on opening day. That was just a taste of what was to come for the menudriven comfort food concept in the following decades. It has charted steady expansion throughout the Southern U.S. in recent years, with franchising kicking into high gear post-pandemic alongside the broader breakfast category’s growing popularity.

Wild Eggs

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

FOUNDED: 2007 UNITS: 15

Inspired by the hearty breakfasts of farmers, Wild Eggs hatched in 2007 as a brunch concept encouraging guests to get “a taste of the wild side” through its expansive menu and downhome hospitality. With a new franchise program, the brand is slated to open 35 or more locations in the next five years throughout the Southeast and beyond.

Ruby Slipper Cafe

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

FOUNDED: 2008 UNITS: 24 (+1 IN 2024)

Ruby Slipper believes in keeping the spirit of brunch alive through its signature “boozy brunches,” all-day breakfast menu, and creative

LTOs. The New Orleansbased cafe is best known for its homemade biscuits, serving over 40,000 a week. With almost 25 restaurants in six states in counting, Ruby Slipper aims to bring #ThatBrunchLife across the nation.

Pinstripes

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

UNITS: 16

FOUNDED: 2006

Pinstripes, an eatertainment concept known for its bowling and bocce activities, made waves

this year by becoming the first restaurant company to go public in 2024 via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Banyan Acquisition. The chain will use $70plus million in gross proceeds from the transaction to fund future store openings.

FLYING BISCUIT CAFE

CONDADO TACOS

Condado Tacos

COLUMBUS, OHIO

UNITS: 49

FOUNDED: 2014

Condado Tacos prides itself as a social destination, especially on Thursday through Friday nights. The company has a strong focus on spirits and beverages, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of sales. The restaurant boasts a vibrant atmosphere with graffiti art created by local community members adorning the walls and lively music, contributing to a fun ambiance. In fact, since first opening in 2014, the casual-dining chain has employed more than 200 local artists to contribute to original mural artwork inside restaurants. Addition -

ally, at Condado Tacos, employees are encouraged to express their individuality, as uniforms are not required. This approach fosters a fun and welcoming atmosphere, both for the staff and the guests, attracting top talent.

The restaurant maintains an approachable price point, claiming to be the best value for under $20. To keep the customer experience fresh, Condado Tacos regularly introduces new featured beverages, tacos, and dips. Off-premises orders have been steadily growing,

accounting for about 30 to 35 percent of its overall business. To honor the second anniversary of its mobile app, the brand hosted an app taco party in which 50 customers received $1,000 in reward dollars during August. All new rewards guests who downloaded the app received a $5 off coupon. Charitable work is also at the center of Condado Taco’s mission. Last year, the brand launched

a national partnership with Feeding America. It aimed to raise at least $100,000 through its Southwest Midwest Taco, with a portion of sales going toward this goal. Employees across almost 50 locations had volunteering opportunities at local food banks to combat hunger in their communities. Ninety percent of the funds raised were donated to local food bank partners.

CONDADO TACOS (3)

PUTTERY

Puttery

DALLAS, TEXAS

FOUNDED: 2021 UNITS: 10

Fusing tech-forward gameplay and competitive socializing with elevated food and craft cocktails, Puttery is an immersive mini-golf lounge for customers ages 21 and up from Drive Shack, an owner and operator of golfrelated entertainment businesses. The concept launched in 2021 with units in Dallas and Charlotte, North Carolina; followed by Houston; Chicago; and Washington, D.C., in 2022. Locations in Pittsburgh; Minneapolis; Kansas City, Missouri; and Miami came online in 2023, and a tenth unit opened in New York City earlier this year. The multi-level venues feature several golf courses, bars, and lounges. They range from 15,000 square feet to 26,000 square feet

with an average cost to build of $8 million to $10 million. Each course features modern updates to the classic game of mini golf, including challenging course design, state-of-the-art putters selected by four-time major champion and investor Rory McIlroy, and digital scorecards with touchscreen monitors that track scores in lieu of pen and paper. Puttery’s food and beverage program is equally important as its gameplay. With an on-course

wait staff and multiple seating areas, guests can order from chefinspired food and beverage menus before, during, and after their golf game. There are some classic, familiar favorites, like charcuterie boards, wings, burgers, sandwiches, pastas, and pizzas, as well as some more adventurous options, like poke bowls, ceviche, and sous vide pork belly. Craft cocktails, wine, and beer are also available, with themed drinks that accompany each course.

Trapper’s Sushi

BONNEY LAKE, WASHINGTON

FOUNDED: 2004 UNITS: 15

After Trapper O’Keeffe opened the first Trapper’s Sushi, it wasn’t long before interest grew in the all-you-can-eat sushi concept. The non-tradi-

tional menu is meant to make sushi approachable, with everything made to order. The brand’s future growth strategy is to have 100 employeeowned restaurants.

Uncle Julio’s IRVING, TEXAS

FOUNDED: 1986 UNITS: 36

Uncle Julio’s, with stores spread across 12 states, received a spark this fall when it named Scott Lawton CEO and RJ Thomas president and COO. Lawton cofounded bartaco in 2011.

The casual-dining restaurant and Uncle Julio’s are both owned by private equity firm L Catterton.

Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar

CAROLINA BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA

UNITS: 19

FOUNDED: 2007

With a focus on sustainable and domestic sourcing, Shuckin’ Shack aims to offer the same quality you’d find at a whitetablecloth establishment but with a relaxed vibe and casual atmosphere that stands out from other oyster bars and seafood chains. It is concentrated

Famous Toastery

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

FOUNDED: 2005 UNITS: 25

on the East Coast but is making its way inland, opening locations as far west as Illinois and targeting secondary markets in states like Ohio, West Virginia, and Alabama.

Toasted Yolk Cafe

HOUSTON, TEXAS

UNITS: 38

FOUNDED: 2010

Toasted Yolk Cafe is riding the wave of the booming breakfast daypart, yet differentiating itself in the increasingly crowded category with an equally extensive lunch menu. A robust line-up of specialty cocktails are emphasized in newer stores by openair bars that lead to a patio. The chain started growing beyond its native Texas in 2021 and continued expanding its footprint last year with openings in new states like Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio, and Mississippi.

For a relatively small concept, the better-brunch franchise had an outsized moment in the sun to close 2023. Famous Toastery became the title sponsor of the “Famous Toastery Bowl,” which took place on December 17 at Jerry Richardson Stadium on the campus of the UNC Charlotte and was televised on ESPN, replacing the Bahamas Bowl. It got the brand in front of millions and generated no shortage of chatter on social media. It wasn’t the first time Famous Toastery reached the sports world, either. One of its enthusiasts and longtime customers is NASCAR Cup Series driver and 2021 Daytona 500 Champion Michael McDowell, who signed a partnership agreement earlier in 2023.

“Hosting the Famous Toastery Bowl was an incredible opportunity to bring an exciting event to the city of Charlotte, and

solidify Famous Toastery as an established brand in the brunch space,” says Mike Sebazco, president of Famous Toastery.

“From an extremely quick execution, to a record-making game and tremendous post-game buzz, Famous Toastery earned immense exposure unlike anything we’ve seen before,” he adds.

Beyond the spotlight apex, 2023 was an eventful stretch for Famous Toastery. Over the past few years, it’s worked to shore up operational efficiencies so it can drive sales and grow its franchise business, including standardizing operating procedures across all locations, reengineering the restaurant’s menu and prices to improve unit level economics, and launching a “Famously Fresh” campaign. It also expanded leadership by adding franchise and industry vets Mike Sebazco as president and Eric Gustafsson as VP of franchise development. In 2022, the brand saw its top 50 percent of franchise locations report an average-unit volume of $1.77 million.

TOASTED YOLK CAFE

Your 3rd Spot

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

UNITS: 1

FOUNDED: 2020

Named after the concept of a “third place” after work and home, Your 3rd Spot boasts a “vibe-forward” social dining experience with upscale small plates, craft beverages, and a collection of more than 70 games. Developed by AMP Up1 Hospitality, Your 3rd Spot opened in Atlanta’s Upper Westside and is slated to open locations in Texas, Illinois, Tennessee, New York, Washington DC, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia.

Via 313

AUSTIN, TEXAS

UNITS: 18

FOUNDED: 2011

Via 313’s DNA is in its name. The numbers are the area code of Detroit, and represent how Brandon and Zane Hunt, born and bred natives of the Motor City, carried Detroit-style pizza

to new markets around (Zane claims the brand is the first to call it “Detroitstyle pizza” out of their hometown). What started as a nondescript trailer on East 6th and Waller in Austin, Texas, Via 313 has spread out to 18 locations. Savory’s investment in the brand in 2020 will

continue to fuel development. The brand’s Detroit-style pizza, which is best described as rectangular pizza that boasts a thick, fluffy crust piled with ingredients, includes fresh sauce ladled on after the bake.

Topgolf

DALLAS, TEXAS

UNITS: 98 (88 IN U.S.)

FOUNDED: 2000

Created about a quartercentury ago, Topgolf has served as a roadmap for fellow golf-based social entertainment concepts that have come after it. The global chain considers itself a modern golf experience where anyone can have fun, whether they’ve picked up a golf club or not.

Snooze, an AM Eatery

DENVER, COLORADO

FOUNDED: 2006 UNITS: 67

Brother-entrepreneur duo Jon and Adam Schlegel flipped the traditional breakfast menu on its head with pancake flights, creative cocktails, and rotating seasonal dishes. This eccentric breakfast chain has made a name for itself across 10 states, 67 locations, and a team of 3,000 employees as it grows from coast to coast.

Snooze’s “breakfast beliefs” are simple, but make an enormous impact: maintaining sustainable restaurant practices, responsibly sourcing ingredients, and giving back 1 percent of sales to the community in the form of various charitable partnerships each year. In 2023, Snooze donated $200,000 in-kind to local nonprofits.

Famous for its team of dedicated “Snoozers,” the brunch sensation remains a champion of employee retention through support programs and benefits,

including the Snooze Compass Foundation, which acts as a collective emergency fund for employees. The Snooze Compass Foundation granted $175,640 to over 200 Snoozers in need last year.

With 155,000 followers and counting on Instagram, Snooze is keen on leveraging its social media presence to connect with guests and fill essential gaps within the industry, including rolling out a “Weekday Eats” program in January 2024 which seeks to move beyond brunch and expand its versatility and reach.

The brand is moving full steam ahead, one flight of pancakes at a time. With six new units slated to open in 2024, Snooze is expected to expand in cities like Las Vegas, Nevada; Orlando, Florida; and multiple locations in Texas. After a record-breaking 2023, the breakfast eatery continues to diversify its menu, develop its catering program (which grew by 313 percent last year), and contribute to sustainable environmental initiatives.

Big AmericanWhiskey’s Restaurant and Bar

OZARK, MISSOURI

FOUNDED: 2006 UNITS: 14

Big Whiskey’s expansion has begun to hit its stride in recent months. The brand last October opened a store in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to recordbreaking sales per capita. Within a week of its grand debut, it generated more than $100,000 in sales. More expansion in its home market is slated for 2024 with two corporate units in Neosho and Lebanon planned for the summer, which would bring the company-run footprint to nine locations. Franchise growth is also taking the brand to Alabama, Florida, and Arkansas this year— the chain enjoyed 93 percent expansion in locations sold in 2023. Big Whiskey’s touts

EBITDA of 29.8 percent compared to the market average of 16.8 percent. And thanks to sizable beverage sales (23.08 percent of mix), the brand’s average check sits around $31.55.

"We are grateful for the growth we have seen over the past few months,” says Paul Sundy, cofounder of the brand. “Our team has worked hard to grow intentionally. Not only do we get the opportunity to make an impact on the small communities where we have landed, but we also get to be a part of all of the celebrated moments of life for those living in these communities. We look forward to what 2024 will bring.”

HashTAG

DENVER, COLORADO

FOUNDED: 2017 UNITS: 2

Helmed by iconic Denver restaurateur and chef Troy Guard, HashTAG is known for being an innovative “Boozy Brunch Joint,” a term TAG Restaurant Group trademarked. A lively atmosphere plus Guard’s inventive twists on classic brunch fare with high-quality ingredients makes it a must-try.

Big Bad Breakfast

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI

FOUNDED: 2008 UNITS: 19

James Beard Award-winning chef John Currence summed up the culinary experiences of his childhood in New Orleans through one big, bad

breakfast menu that includes scratch-made and preservative-free ingredients specifically curated for each location. As the brand approaches its 25th restaurant in the Southeastern quadrant, Currence is preparing for 50.

Gen Korean BBQ

CERRITOS, CALIFORNIA

FOUNDED: 2011 UNITS: 36

Gen Korean BBQ is a unique concept in that everyone is their own chef. The restaurant uses a self-service model in which food products are displayed family-style and customers use an embedded grill at the center of the table to cook. The chain, which went public in 2023, believes it has room for 250 U.S. locations.

GEN KOREAN BBQ

How Futuristic Tech is Revolutionizing Restaurants

Discover how extended reality is revolutionizing the restaurant industry by enhancing staff training, creating immersive menus, and offering unique sensory dining journeys.

YOU WOULDN’T BE ALONE in think-

ing that extended reality ( xr) is a concept from a futuristic film. But, this dystopian-sounding idea is actually fast becoming an everyday part of our world.

Used as a collective term for augmented reality (ar) and virtual reality (vr ), XR has taken entertainment by storm, creating immersive games that let users put themselves into the worlds they’re playing in.

Now, though, the potential of AR and VR is expanding, and businesses are beginning to see its potential for skyrocketing success. So, is there a space for XR technology in restaurants? Let’s take a look.

Enhance Your Staff Training

Take your staff training a step further with XR tech. According to AR development company 3D Walkabout, this is one of the main uses of AR for businesses, offering an immersive, real-world experience to take training to the next level.

Give your team the chance to experience training scenarios first-hand by interacting with virtual customers and learning your best practices for serving in a real-world simulation.

From chefs to waiters, your team

can practice skills in a safe environment before working on the restaurant floor. This comes with a range of benefits, including:

• Preventing accidents from tarnishing your brand image

• Keeping your team and customers safe

• Cutting training costs with independent, remote learning capabilities Rather than reading through endless pamphlets and watching safety videos, your staff can walk through different scenarios themselves. It’s engaging, realistic, and leads to a better-prepared team ready to take on their role in your restaurant.

BY INCORPORATING EXTENDED REALITY (xr) TECH INTO YOUR RESTAURANT’S BUSINESS MODEL, YOU CAN FORGE CONNECTIONS THAT GO BEYOND FOOD, DEVELOP NEW PRODUCTS WITHOUT WASTE, AND USE CREATIVITY TO ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE.

Create an Immersive AR Restaurant Menu

Looking to set yourself apart from competitors? Consider enhancing your menu with AR, bringing excitement to the dining experience, and offering guests a taste of your culinary inspiration that goes beyond the food and drinks in front of them.

The idea is pretty simple: Diners can use a specially designed AR app to bring their order to life. When holding up their phone to their food or drink, they’ll see a themed display that appears to be moving around your table, interacting with your order, and creating a fun, memorable experience.

ADOBE STOCK

Your Take

One example of this in action can be seen at The Alchemist, a cocktail bar in London. When viewed through a phone camera, their drinks appear to have entire worlds pop up around them, with pirate ships and hula dancers creating mind-bending experiences.

Take Diners on a Sensory VR Journey

A unique blend of art, VR, and culinary excellence, the Aerobanquets RMX experience is an example of how extended reality can change perceptions of dining out by incorporating technology in restaurants.

Hosted at the James Beard House in Greenwich Village, guests were given VR headsets on arrival. Through these, they watched abstract scenes related to seven different courses before tasting the food that inspired the art.

A completely new way to connect food with sensory immersion, this limited experience is a great example of how XR can unleash creativity and reshape the concept of dining.

Improve Your Marketing

XR is a smart way to create a marketing strategy that stands out. In a competitive business world that’s full of constant advertising, it can be hard to pack a punch with your messaging. But with XR, you approach your audience from a new angle, building a brand image that’s immersive, engaging, and forwardthinking. Some of the benefits of using XR in your strategy include:

• Creating deeper connections with your audience

• Enhancing storytelling capabilities for impactful marketing

• Personalization of campaigns for more relevant content

Why not add a VR tour of your restaurant to your website, enticing potential diners to engage with your space before they book a table? Or, you could create an AR campaign that lets users see your dishes through their phone camera, creating a realistic simulation of what they can expect.

This is similar to the AR menu built

by Denny’s, with the aim of enhancing their marketing and building a cohesive brand experience. Through their new “It’s Dinner Time” concept, diners can use their phone cameras to see realistic simulations of menu items before ordering.

Render Dishes Before You Make Them

From branding to increasing appetite through appearance, your food presentation matters. When looking to grow your restaurant business, XR can make it easier to try out different methods of presenting new dishes and playing around with color, texture, and garnishes.

Not only can you quickly change your presentation for more efficient experimentation, but VR mock-ups also reduce food waste in your business, helping you save money and scale sustainably while you improve your menu.

Gamification of Your Restaurant Experience

Gamification is the process of adding gaming aspects to your business model. As a restaurant, that could mean creating menus that can be drawn on or ‘order bingo’ loyalty cards. But it can also be more all-encompassing, using VR to make your entire restaurant a game.

On arrival, give diners a VR headset that transforms your space into a gaming haven. They can then choose different worlds to sit in while they wait for their order, playing interactive solo

games or teaming up with friends to fight zombies and play Scrabble.

For more insight into how this might work, check out existing VR experiences, like Dreamscape. Though not a restaurant, they have the business model in place for VR interaction—all you need to do is add the food!

Step into the Metaverse

Looking to expand the ways in which you connect with your audience? For a future-ready, branding-heavy strategy, look into creating a virtual version of your restaurant in the Metaverse.

With around 400 million users exploring this new virtual world, it’s already attracted the attention of some of the biggest names in the food industry. Wendy’s, for example, has created the Wendyverse, which lets users walk through a simulation of a Wendy’s restaurant, going behind the counter and ordering virtual food for a completely new way to experience the brand.

McDonald’s has also created their own virtual fast-food chain in the Metaverse. Here, though, you can order food that’ll actually be delivered to your door in the real world for a burger and fries that aren’t made of pixels. It’s an exciting concept and one that brings an aspect of gamification to online ordering.

The modern world offers a host of new opportunities to scale businesses, and the restaurant industry is no exception. By incorporating XR into your business model, you can use creativity to engage your audience, develop new products without waste, and forge connections that go beyond food—and that’s just the beginning.

Ashley Harris started her career in hospitality over 10 years ago, and after completing her degree in Management Science, has developed a passion for hospitality management. With a wealth of knowledge and first-hand experience in hospitality, she regularly covers trending topics and innovations online. Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn and follow her on X: @ashleyharris91.

ASHLEY HARRIS

ASHLEY HARRIS

On the Rise

BY SATYNE DONER

The New Pancake Powerhouse

Fluffy Fluffy is bringing its award-winning Japanese souffle-style pancakes and uncomplicated yet unique concept to new markets through franchising.

A CANADIAN-BASED dessert chain serving up Japanese-style pancakes is the next powerhouse brand to watch. Benson Lau founded Fuwa Fuwa—Japanese for “Fluffy Fluffy”—with a mission to deliver a dose of endorphins for customers through a unique, hybrid dessert café concept. In other words, delivering happiness in the form of souffle-style pancakes.

FOUNDER:

Benson Lau

HQ: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

CUISINE TYPE: Japanese

Lau grew up in Asia, taking notes on pastries from around the region. He was fascinated by the way people reacted to the souffle pancake—a light, airy twist to the traditional breakfast item— and in 2018, he set off to bring this treat across the globe.

The Fluffy Fluffy concept represents a marriage between Eastern and Western influences, with Japanese-style souffle pancakes which are slowly cooked to perfection at a low temperature and finished with a variety of fruits, toppings, and housemade sauces. All eggs and milk are locally sourced, free of artificial additives.

While the pancakes are certainly a staple on the brand’s menu, other offerings include roll cakes, macarons, lattes, and bubbly sodas. The ever-evolving menu

Dessert Café

UNITS: 3 in the U.S., 30 internationally

WITH THREE LOCATIONS CURRENTLY OPEN STATESIDE AND 20 IN DEVELOPMENT, FLUFFY FLUFFY IS PLANNING TO GROW FROM COAST TO COAST BY INKING DEALS WITH LOCAL PARTNERS IN EACH STATE.

also features savory croffle (croissantwaffle) sandwiches and burnt-top cheesecakes in flavors such as Earl Grey, matcha, and raspberry.

The first Fluffy Fluffy location opened in Toronto, Canada, and is known to be one of the first of its kind in North America. To this day, Lau says it’s still the leading and largest souffle-pancake franchise internationally. He credits it to being first-to-market, celebrating crosscultural diversity by bringing a fun twist on the breakfast standard to the table.

“Pancakes are a colloquial language,” Lau says. “But when you introduce a modern twist with a lighter, softer, and healthier pancake, it becomes a substitute for the traditional ones ... once [cus-

tomers] have the souffle once, they can never go back.”

In the five years since its inception, the brand has grown to 30 locations across the U.K., Canada, China, France, and the U.S. Its franchising program debuted in 2020, and it’s been growing ever since.

However, being one-of-a-kind does have its drawbacks: Lau says it’s been challenging to find suitable brick-andmortar locations and persuade landlords with a product they’ve never heard of before. Though, it’s been a beneficial learning curve for the brand as it continues to expand its reach across different countries and cultures.

“The process is about communicating our brand story, the products we’re try-

FLUFFY FLUFFY

On the Rise

ing to sell, and what makes us different,” Lau says. “There’s a lot of hard work we’ve been doing to finalize and negotiate for locations that work for the brand.”

Locations range from approximately 800 to 1,500 square feet, ideally in hightraffic locations with both commercial and industrial consumers and ample parking. This is a chain that wants its customers to come inside and enjoy their time inside the café, connecting with other sweet-toothed aficionados.

Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina. With three locations currently open stateside and 20 in development, Fluffy Fluffy is eventually expected to go from coast to coast by inking deals with local partners.

In Lau’s eyes, the ideal franchisee would want to “share the happiness, love cultural diversity, stay open minded to

But it’s not just landlords who need education on the brand—it’s the customers, too. Lau says social media has been the company’s biggest asset in spreading the word, with a tech-savvy marketing team born post-1990, which he astutely points out.

“We utilize a lot of social media to promote Fluffy Fluffy,” Lau adds. “Most of our team was born into the internet world ... and we have a friendly product [to promote].”

As the brand zeroes in on the U.S., Lau is looking to expand through franchising in cities like Dallas; Jacksonville,

versity, with a program designed to train even first-time restaurant owners,” Lau says. “We have dancers and heart surgeons joining the program because they want to make desserts with their family ... and we become a mentor for them.”

Also aiding in the support of the brand is a research and development center in Canada, Asia, and in the U.K. Lau

trying new things, and be a pioneer to celebrate and share a great product with the local community.”

He adds that it does take a certain amount of courage to be an ambassador for an innovative concept, but it’s all part of the excitement and charm of Fluffy Fluffy.

At the same time, it’s not a complicated concept—Lau’s team has been focused on designing a franchise program with a team with the capabilities of providing tailor-made support for each location. With years of pastry experience, the corporate team acts as a pillar of aid for even the greenest franchisee, even developing flavors unique to every café.

“We consider ourselves a dessert uni-

“Pancakes are a colloquial language. But when you introduce a modern twist with a lighter, softer, and healthier pancake, it becomes a substitute for the traditional ones.”

explains these centers are comprehensive to the growth of the franchise, constantly looking for ways to diversify the Fluffy Fluffy menu to adapt to global tastes. An additional central kitchen is currently in development for the U.S.

“While you’re sleeping in the U.S. or in Canada, our research and development centers on the other side of the world is still going on,” Lau adds. “The lights are still on, running and innovating. It’s a support system for the whole brand.”

Lau’s goal is to carry on carving a niche out for Fluffy Fluffy in the international market while shifting its focus to the North American pocket, continuing to be a leader and pioneer in the café chain category. Within the next two years, he is targeting at least 200 locations in North America.

“We know this [brand] makes people happy, and I want to be the one who promotes it and brings it to the rest of the world,” Lau says. “For years, we’ve been establishing ourselves, celebrating diversity. This is the culture we want to share with our audience, and we’re excited to be the ones sharing happiness as we grow.”

FLUFFY FLUFFY (3)

FLUFFY FLUFFY FOUNDER BENSON LAU (ABOVE) SAYS IT’S BEEN CHALLENGING TO FIND SUITABLE BRICK-AND-MORTAR LOCATIONS AND PERSUADE LANDLORDS WITH A PRODUCT THEY’VE NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE—THOUGH THAT ISN’T STOPPING THE BRAND FROM GROWING AT A RAPID PACE.

Advertising Index

Behind the Scenes

ROLES:

FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival,

The New York Wine & Food Festival.

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, SVP OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits

Founder of the iconic South Beach Wine & Food Festival and its sister event in New York, Lee Brian Schrager says the growth has been "very organic." Each year, the four-day festival has more than 100 events featuring the Food Network’s biggest stars, Grammy-winning musicians, and more than 500 chefs and wine and spirit producers. Schrager reveals how he grew the event from 6,000 to 65,000 attendees, and how it benefits the next generation of chefs and operators.

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

Secrets of Food Festival Stardom

How did you scale the SoBe Wine & Food Festival to the star-studded event it is today?

We didn’t understand the power and success of what we had probably until year three. By year three, we took it a lot more seriously and continued to build the team and work with great partners, and bring on the Food Network as our title partner, and that really took us to the next level. We kind of rode the coattails of the success of the Food Network by launching what we did very close to the time that they were growing and expanding.

Can you talk about the talent selection process and the international aspect?

The chefs really come from all over the world. Our tribute dinner this year honored Massimo Botturi (of the three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana), with chefs like Alain Ducasse (who has over 20 Michelin stars) and Albert Adrià Acosta (chef at Enigma). We are continually looking for new, great, diverse talent, while still maintaining what put us on the map—that pop culture and the popularity of our title partner The Food Network.

How can festivals like this benefit full-service restaurants and operators?

It’s not cheap to participate, in the fact that no one pays to participate, but a restaurant has to bring staff to participate in the event; they have to provide food for samplings at an event. We don’t take that for granted. What we’ve learned over the years is that restaurants see the value. If they didn’t see the value, they wouldn’t keep coming back. Our turnover in chefs participating that we invite is very small. They see the value of driving attention to their restaurants by participating at a not-for-profit for the next generation of industry leaders.

What part is the most exciting?

It’s a hands-on learning experience for the students of the hospitality school. That really is the most exciting part to me, to give the next future generation of leaders in our community and the industry the opportunity to work hand in hand alongside the greatest winemakers and some of the greatest chefs internationally and locally.

LEE

LEE BRIAN SCHRAGER

FROM GUY FIERI TO RACHAEL RAY, THE FESTIVALS ATTRACT BIG INDUSTRY NAMES.