In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, chats with Jeff's Bagel Run founder Jeff Perera.

Perera and his wife, Danielle, call themselves bagel fanatics. When Perera lost his job in 2019, he began making bagels for his wife at home. He then spread the love to family and friends, who told him he should sell the bagels. Eventually, he did locally.

In 2021, they opened the first Jeff's Bagel Run in Ocoee, Florida. Today, the brand has 15 stores in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Texas.

Perera said consistency across his brand starts with quality training.

"Whenever we have a new team start, a new franchisee join the system, we're going to put them through really extensive training so they can learn what it's like to be an owner of a Jeff's Bagel Run and to make sure that they have that as part of their DNA," Perera said. "That is going to be the first foundation."

To learn about about how Perera has expanded his bagel empire, click the link at the top.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, podcast host Mandy Detwiler, editor Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, chats with Blas Escarcega, VP of franchise development for Central American chicken chain Pollo Campero. Here, flavor is king and development is ripe for the picking. Escarcega, one of the first employees hired in the U.S., has been with the company for 18 years.

Pollo Campero began in 1971 in Guatemala, mostly in central America. It came to the U.S. in 2002 in Los Angeles and is still operating today.

"It has a historic following not only in Guatemala but now it's starting to resonate in the U.S.," Escarcega said.

Pollo Campero has had to work hard to differentiate itself from others in a chicken-heavy field. There's a lot of competition, but the brand has maintained its authenticity.

"We never forget our roots of the recipes that we've had as far as seasoning and the way that we prepare the food," Escarcega said. Using pressure fryers has given the chicken tender, unique flavors. They also want the customer experience to be unique.

To learn more about how Pollo Campero is standing out in a crowded market, watch the podcast in its entirety. Don't forget to subscribe for the Restaurant Operator Podcast for interviews with all the top restaurant brand interviews.

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb, talks to Jason Sobocinski and Etkin Tekin, co-founders of Haven Hot Chicken out of Connecticut. While the chicken market may be saturated, Sobocinski and Tekin found a niche for hot chicken, and the rest is history.

Tekin and Sobocincki have history when Tekin worked for Sobocincki at a restaurant he owned years ago. During his interview, Tekin told his boss he'd like to open a business with him someday. They stayed in touch as Tekin opened his own businesses and in 2018, Tekin contacted his former boss about a business opportunity he had.

That business? A Nashville hot chicken concept.

"There was nothing like it in Connecticut," Sobocinski said. He wanted to do a brand, however, and initially said no. He was invited to meet the other two founders, and Sobocinski was "blown away" by them and the food. He was in.

Tekin said there was a story created behind the brand they wanted to create, and at the same time they were doing rigorous recipe testing.

"After three or four months of work, I just felt like something was missing in the organization," Tekin said. That would have been Sobocinski, who Tekin said always created a brand with his restaurants.

The brand has recently grown from four stores to nine in just 10 months.

To learn more about Haven Hot Chicken's operations, listen to the podcast in its entirety at the top of the page.