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

How One of the Largest Family Owned Fast Food Empires Was Built (265+ units)

Harsh Ghai is one of the largest Burger King franchise owners in America. He's also one of, if not the, largest family owned franchisee with over 250 locations across Burger King, Taco Bell, & Popeye's. We discuss the Burger King comeback, as well his lessons operating over multiple decades....OPEN NEW LOCATIONS IN WEEKS WITH CLOUDKITCHENS: https://cloudkitchens.com/BUY OR SELL FRANCHISES WITH OUR TEAM: https://www.empirespod.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]

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]