Empires

The Bagel Wars: How H&H Is Scaling Without Private Equity

Jay Rushin, owner of H&H Bagels, joins the podcast to break down the rise of the bagel category, why H&H has taken a different path from venture-backed competitors, and how the brand is scaling its New York bagel model through franchising. He shares the story behind acquiring H&H, rebuilding the business, launching breakfast sandwiches, building a Queens production facility, and creating a franchise model designed to bring authentic New York bagels across the country. FOR MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISE OWNERS CONSIDERING SELLING:https://www.empirespod.com/for-multi-unit-ownersWEEKLY FRANCHISE NEWSLETTER: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empirespod.substack.com [https://empirespod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Evolution of Subway - Bill Mathis (3 unit owner)

Bill Mathis worked for Subway starting in 1992, and eventually became a franchise owner in 2001. He's owned as many as 4 stores, and gives us an inside look at the brand over the past few decades. We dive into everything and everything, including the impact of the $5 footlong promo, the sandwich wars with Quiznos, what Fred DeLuca was like, and how the transition under Roark Capital has been. FOR MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISE OWNERS CONSIDERING SELLING: https://www.empirespod.com/for-multi-unit-owners WEEKLY FRANCHISE NEWSLETTER: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empirespod.substack.com [https://empirespod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Iconic New York Slice Shop That's Franchising (Prince St. Pizza)

Prince Street Pizza went from a single NYC slice shop to one of the most viral pizza brands in America. In this episode, Prince Street Pizza CEO & co-owner Lawrence Longo breaks down how the brand exploded through Instagram, celebrity co-signs, and its iconic Spicy Spring slice. He’s now leading the brand's expansion across the U.S. with a highly selective franchising strategy.JOIN OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: FOR MULTI-UNIT OWNERS WHO ARE SELLING:https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ 00:00 Intro01:11 How Sean Avery Introduced Lawrence to Prince Street Pizza02:33 How Instagram Made Prince Street Go Viral05:12 Why the Spicy Spring Slice Became Iconic06:32 The 2018 LA Pop-Up That Changed Everything08:03 The Crazy History of Original Ray’s Pizza10:40 How Prince Street Created Its Signature Pizza12:16 The Truth About New York Water & Pizza14:28 The Story Behind Off The Menu17:13 Secret Menu Items & Viral Food Marketing21:55 Why In-N-Out Calls It Animal Style24:55 Dave’s Hot Chicken & Secret Menu Innovation25:50 How the Prince Street LA Pop-Up Went Viral30:11 Convincing The Founders To Expand Nationally32:01 Lessons From Opening Restaurants With No Experience34:31 Opening Prince Street During COVID37:22 Why Frank Shut Down A Store Over Pepsi39:57 Todd Graves’ Advice About “Craveable” Food41:13 Expanding Prince Street Across America45:28 Scaling Premium Pizza Without Losing Quality48:46 Training Pizza Makers & Maintaining Standards51:22 The New “Naughty Slice” & Hot Honey Trend54:04 Pizza Wars, Haters & Restaurant Competition56:11 Why Prince Street Only Works With Elite Operators58:42 The Dave’s Hot Chicken Partnership01:03:27 What Prince Street Looks For In Franchise Partners01:06:24 The Home Alone Marketing Collaboration01:09:02 Why Pizza Chains Are Struggling Today01:12:49 Choosing The Right Locations For Growth01:16:30 The Future Of Prince Street Pizza01:17:38 Lawrence’s Biggest Influence & Final Thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empirespod.substack.com [https://empirespod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Building Jersey Mike's - 25 Unit Operator

Kavrin McGuire operates 25 Jersey Mike’s locations alongside his father and brother. In this conversation, we break down:• How Jersey Mike’s maintains product quality at scale• What it’s actually like operating a high-volume sandwich business• Why Peter Cancro built such intense loyalty among franchisees• The truth about the Blackstone acquisition rumors• How Kavrin’s family scaled through acquisitions + development• Why they bought the entire state of Minnesota for Mike’s Red Tacos We also dive deep into staffing, operations, digital ordering, real estate strategy, small-town expansion, and what separates great restaurant operators from average ones. SUBSCRIBE TO EMPIRES WEEKLY FOR MULTI-UNIT OWNERS WHO ARE SELLING: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ CHAPTERS00:00 Intro00:54 How Kavrin’s family found Jersey Mike’s03:22 Learning restaurant ops from the ground up05:20 The reality of running a restaurant07:57 Why Jersey Mike’s ops are harder than Little Caesars11:10 Staffing a Jersey Mike’s lunch rush13:50 How Jersey Mike’s built its digital ordering system15:22 Why Jersey Mike’s became a breakout brand16:50 Peter Cancro’s obsession with sandwich quality20:26 Stories that explain why franchisees love Peter Cancro25:53 Kavrin’s role running 25 Jersey Mike’s27:31 Building a long-term leadership team29:26 Acquiring Jersey Mike’s locations31:58 Real estate strategy + buildout costs34:33 Can Jersey Mike’s work in small towns?37:17 Jersey Mike’s culture of giving42:31 Blackstone, Charlie Morrison & the future of Jersey Mike’s47:14 How much white space Jersey Mike’s still has50:59 Why they bought Mike’s Red Tacos54:38 Betting on birria tacos as the next big category57:17 Mike’s Red Tacos operations explained01:00:42 Comparing Mike’s Red Tacos vs Jersey Mike’s ops01:04:42 Long-term vision for both brands01:06:09 Final thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empirespod.substack.com [https://empirespod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Inside the Largest KidStrong Empire (60+ Units)

Joe Pedatella is scaling one of the fastest-growing KidStrong empires in the country: * 16 locations open * 60+ in development * And a goal of 100 long term In this episode, he breaks down how he pre-sold 700 members before opening, built a culture that scales, and turned one gym into a multi-unit machine that is only just starting to hit it’s stride. Considering buying a franchise? https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblUwU0x4ZXJrV3M2OHE3WVRIY19GTkwyN1hXZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuTkNoaFBSRDJ6X3pfdHdzYmpvV2M5dTBCbmRvNDMweUIyWmpFU2tYQ1RrTzItVmxTVWM5cEJBanNKMloyYVR1XzNtMjEzeDVXYjB1bUhqUndXUHBYZ0s5OHBuaVZfcHdpV09kdm9NZ3VGaExSY2x3dw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.empirespod.com%2Fbuy-a-franchise&v=SKnl8ECbzB4www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise [https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise] For multi-unit franchisees selling their locations: www.fdcapitalgroup.com [https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empirespod.substack.com [https://empirespod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]