EP22: The Secret to Better Training? Build Systems People Actually Use

EP22: The Secret to Better Training? Build Systems People Actually Use

“Culture isn’t built through policies. It’s built through people.” Heather McKeon, COO of Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen, joins Rachael Nemeth to share her unconventional journey from hostess to executive leadership and the lessons she’s learned helping grow one of Texas’ most beloved restaurant brands. After nearly three decades with Gringo’s, Heather has experienced almost every part of the business firsthand. Starting as a hostess in 1996, she moved into restaurant management, built the company’s marketing function, and eventually stepped into the COO role. That unique path has given her a rare perspective on how brand, operations, and culture work together to create long-term success. Heather explains why employee retention starts long before onboarding, how storytelling becomes a leadership tool, and why the strongest restaurant cultures are built by developing people from within. She shares how Gringo’s has maintained remarkable team tenure while expanding into new markets and why protecting culture becomes even more important as organizations grow. The conversation also explores leadership evolution, founder influence, operational training, and the challenge of scaling without losing what made a company successful in the first place. Heather discusses why great operators must balance systems with human connection, how technology should support—not complicate—the employee experience, and why the best leaders never stop learning. If you're leading teams, growing a multi-unit business, or trying to create a culture people want to stay part of, this episode offers a practical blueprint for sustainable growth. Key Takeaways → Culture Is the Competitive Advantage: Strong cultures create loyalty, retention, and long-term performance. → Leadership Starts with Storytelling: Employees connect more deeply when they understand the company's history and purpose. → Promote From Within Whenever Possible: Developing internal talent creates stronger leaders and preserves culture. → Growth Requires Culture Protection: Expansion only works when the core values remain intact. → Training Must Move at the Speed of Operations: Systems should support real-world execution, not slow it down. → Technology Should Remove Friction: Simpler tools create better adoption and stronger frontline engagement. → Great Leaders Evolve: Listening, humility, and intentionality become increasingly important as responsibilities grow. Perfect For Restaurant operators, hospitality leaders, multi-unit executives, training professionals, franchise organizations, and anyone responsible for building strong teams and scalable cultures. Time Stamp Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Heather McKeon 01:22 From hostess to restaurant leadership 05:05 Marketing, operations, and career growth 07:44 Protecting culture while expanding 10:53 The power of storytelling and tenure 15:54 Why Gringo’s rethought training 19:34 Staying fresh after decades with one company 23:05 Protecting culture during growth 26:33 Leadership lessons learned over 30 years 30:18 Lightning round About Opus Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. Learn more at opus.so [http://opus.so/]. Have an idea or experience you’d like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn. About Us Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more.  Learn more at www.opus.so [https://www.opus.so] Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-so/]!

EP21: Why People and Systems Are the Real Growth Bottleneck in Fitness

“Growth doesn’t break businesses. Weak systems do.” Julian Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianabarnes/], Co-Founder and CEO of BFS Network, [https://main.bfsnetwork.com/strategic-advisory-peer-network-fitness-wellness] joins Rachael Nemeth to unpack what’s happening across the boutique fitness industry and why many of the challenges operators think are unique are actually shared by almost everyone trying to scale. With visibility across thousands of fitness, wellness, and self-care businesses, Julian brings a perspective few operators get to see. He explains why fitness is moving from a niche activity to a lifestyle category, how post-pandemic behavior shifts accelerated that change, and why the industry is still in the early innings despite the rapid growth surrounding wellness. But growth introduces a different challenge: people and systems. Julian shares why founders often become the biggest bottleneck in their own businesses, how hiring decisions shape long-term performance, and why operators consistently underestimate the impact of recruiting, onboarding, and ongoing development. They also explore the gap between identifying people problems and understanding how to solve them. From founder dependency and training blind spots to consistency across the customer experience, Julian breaks down why scaling is less about adding complexity and more about building repeatable systems that allow teams to execute at a high level every day. If you're building a fitness, wellness, or service-based business where people deliver the product, this episode is a playbook for creating sustainable growth. Key Takeaways * People and Systems Drive Growth: Most scaling challenges come back to hiring, operations, and execution. * Founder Dependency Creates Ceilings: Businesses stall when owners stay trapped in day-to-day delivery. * Recruiting Starts Earlier Than Hiring: Job descriptions, expectations, and onboarding shape outcomes. * Consistency Wins Retention: Customers experience the entire journey, not just the service itself. * Training Is Often Underestimated: Teams need ongoing development, not one-time onboarding. * Growth Requires Investment: Hiring the right manager can create leverage before it feels affordable. * Sustainability Beats Hype: Long-term businesses are built through repeatable systems. Perfect For Fitness operators, wellness founders, multi-location leaders, hospitality executives, and business owners scaling service-based businesses where people are central to the customer experience. Time Stamped Chapters * 00:00 Introduction to BFS Network * 03:03 Fitness as a lifestyle category * 08:40 The patterns operators miss * 11:48 Why people challenges aren't being measured * 14:22 Founder dependency and the manager effect * 17:46 Where learning and development matters most * 23:16 Building sustainable businesses * 27:11 Consistency as the real challenge * 30:34 Recruiting, onboarding, and preventing drift * 34:41 Why training is still overlooked * 36:30 Lightning round About Us Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more.  Learn more at www.opus.so [https://www.opus.so] Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-so/]!

EP20: Scaling Consistency Across 3,700 Employees in Fitness

“When consistency is the product, simplicity becomes the strategy.” Chris Griebe, COO of VASA Fitness, joins Rachael Nemeth to break down what it takes to deliver a consistent, high-quality member experience across a rapidly scaling fitness brand where thousands of daily interactions determine whether members stay or churn. Stepping into 70+ clubs and 3,700 frontline employees mid-expansion, Chris shares how his team simplified operations to focus on what actually matters: equipment that works, staff that are welcoming, and clubs that feel clean and comfortable. He explains why most service failures fall into three categories and how distilling complexity into “fixed, friendly, clean” became the backbone of VASA’s operating model. They also dive into the operator’s role in a high-data environment, why more metrics don’t lead to better outcomes, how to identify the few numbers that actually drive behavior, and why frontline execution matters more than strategy. If you operate in fitness, hospitality, or any business where the experience is delivered by people in real time, this episode is a masterclass in simplifying operations to scale consistency. Key Takeaways * Consistency Is Built on Simplicity: Most service breakdowns come down to broken equipment, unfriendly interactions, or unclean environments. * Frequency Raises the Stakes: Frequent visits make small inconsistencies compound quickly. * Focus, Not Frenzy: Distill metrics down to behaviors that drive outcomes. * Train for Behavior: Short, targeted training outperforms long onboarding. * Talent Is the Constraint: Growth depends on recruiting and retaining strong teams. * Remove Friction: Great operations feel invisible to the customer. * Scale Breaks Systems: What works at 10 locations won’t hold at 70. Perfect For Fitness operators, multi-unit leaders, hospitality executives, founders scaling service-based businesses, and anyone managing large frontline teams where consistency is the core value proposition. About Chris Griebe COO of VASA Fitness, overseeing 70+ locations and thousands of frontline employees. Chris has spent his career in fitness, from personal trainer to executive leadership, scaling operations across national platforms. Time Stamp Chapters * 03:08 Industry growth and post-pandemic shifts * 04:44 What great service looks like * 06:26 The “fixed, friendly, clean” model * 10:03 Hidden drivers of member experience * 14:31 Cutting through data overload * 18:55 Rethinking training * 22:34 From personal trainer to COO * 27:00 Leadership lessons * 30:49 Mentorship and recognition * 33:55 Lightning round About Us Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more.  Learn more at www.opus.so [https://www.opus.so] Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-so/]!

EP19: Scaling the Experience Economy, From Escape Rooms to 100 Units of Play

“When the product is the experience, service isn’t support — it’s the show.” Jason Thompson, COO and Co-Founder of Sounds Fun Entertainment, joins Rachael Nemeth to unpack what it really takes to scale experiential brands where technology, energy, and frontline teams collide in real time. As the parent company behind Activate Games and Breakout Games, Sounds Fun operates 50+ locations with plans to double. Jason shares his unconventional path from frozen yogurt to escape rooms — and why entertainment ultimately proved easier to scale than restaurants. This episode dives into the art behind great service in location-based entertainment: creating “hero moments,” delivering perfectly timed clues, and designing wow experiences that feel effortless to the guest. Jason explains why barrier-to-entry saturation reshaped the escape room industry, how Activate became their next growth engine, and what changes operationally when you go from 10 to 50+ units. Key Takeaways * The Guest Is the Hero: The best service feels invisible. Design experiences so customers feel like they won — even when your team guided the way. * Barrier to Entry Changes Everything: Easy-to-copy concepts create fast saturation. Long-term advantage comes from operational discipline and brand scale. * Build for Extensibility Before Scale: Make early decisions that can replicate across markets — from training to real estate to tech systems. * Empower “Create Yes” Culture: Policies are flexible. Judgment is not. Hire people who want to serve, not enforce. * Visibility Is the Founder’s New Job: At 50+ units, success depends on seeing the whole system — data, metrics, maintenance, and morale — in one place. * Iterate Relentlessly: What worked at 10 units will break at 30. Proactive iteration beats reactive fixes. * Entertainment Is Recession-Resilient: In a digital world, people crave in-person connection more than ever. Perfect For Multi-unit operators, entertainment & hospitality leaders, founders scaling experiential concepts, franchise groups, and anyone building a brand where frontline teams are the product. About Jason Thompson COO & Co-Founder of Sounds Fun Entertainment, the parent company of Activate Games and Breakout Games. Jason helped grow the business from a single escape room to 50+ units nationwide, leading expansion, operational systems, and culture across a rapidly scaling experiential platform. Time Stamp Chapters * 01:05 From frozen yogurt to escape rooms * 03:10 Why entertainment is easier to scale than restaurants * 06:14 Inside the daily operations of an escape room * 15:07 Designing “hero moments” and invisible service * 18:02 When training systems break — and what to fix * 20:42 Scaling from 10 to 50+ units * 23:34 Tech overload and the visibility challenge * 26:02 Where the entertainment industry is headed * 30:06 Letting go as a founder * 36:32 Advice for operators scaling fast * 37:21 Lightning round About Us Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more.  Learn more at www.opus.so [https://www.opus.so] Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-so/]!

EP18: Great Service Isn’t Expected in Recreational Sports and That’s Why It Works

EP18: Great Service Isn’t Expected in Recreational Sports and That’s Why It Works “In service businesses, the win isn’t the task—it’s the relationship.” Gary Archer is CEO and President of a leading indoor soccer facility with 19+ locations across 9 states, built on a simple idea: great service is relational, not transactional. In this episode, Gary joins Rachael Nemeth (Opus CEO) to break down what customer service looks like in recreational sports—and why it’s a surprising blueprint for any service-driven business. He shares how LPS uses technology to remove friction so staff can focus on what actually matters: human connection, retention, and community. Gary also unpacks how they hire “specialists” who live by one job description—get teams, keep teams—and the interview method that reveals self-awareness, coachability, and the mindset of an A-player. From scaling via acquisitions to rebuilding standards, he explains why people are the competitive advantage—and why training only works when you can practice it. Key Takeaways → Relational Beats Transactional: Move paperwork and payments to tech so human interactions can be genuine and memorable. → Retention Is the Real Moat: When customers are regulars, service becomes community—and that’s hard to replace. → Hire for Talent, Train for Refinement: Look for curiosity, listening, and coachability—not just experience. → The Interview Reveals Everything: Role practice + feedback shows self-awareness, defensiveness, and growth mindset fast. → Acquisitions Expose Standards: Most integrations fail on people and culture, not strategy. → Practice Drives Behavior Change: Training only matters when it’s reinforced through practice and accountability. Perfect For Service operators, recreational sports leaders, multi-unit operators, training & L&D teams, and founders scaling culture through growth, acquisitions, and workforce development. About Gary Archer President & CEO of Let’s Play Sports (Let’s Play Soccer), a leading indoor soccer facility with 19+ locations. Gary began at the company at 16, worked every role, and has spent 38 years building a service-first organization centered on relationships, operational discipline, and people development. Time Stamp Chapters 01:06 What Let’s Play Sports is + who it serves 02:32 What great service looks like in recreational sports 03:02 Removing transactional friction to build relationships 04:39 Workforce model + hiring for relational talent 06:56 The interview method that reveals self-awareness 09:43 Scaling through acquisition + operational consistency 12:45 Switching training systems + why Opus worked 16:32 Why change didn’t happen sooner 18:36 Why service is declining—and why that’s opportunity 21:04 Lessons from the ground level + leadership evolution 26:36 Succession, leadership development, and the next chapter 30:43 Lightning round About Us Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business. Have an idea or experience you’d like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn About Us Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more.  Learn more at www.opus.so [https://www.opus.so] Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/opus-so/]!