High-ROI Business Investments Coming in 2026

Otherwise, they get rose-colored glasses about success in the home market and assume it will translate quickly. You pointed out expecting 5070% volumes. I have actually even seen cases where it's simply 2530% at launch.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

You need equity sponsors who think in the vision and the team. Another lesson: you need to open four to 6 shops in a new market within two to three years. That's expensive, but it produces vital mass, constructs awareness, and validates above-store leadership. Without it, you stay sluggish and unprofitable.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

At Chop Store, we deliberately constructed strong bases in Phoenix and Dallas. That gave us the profitability to hold up against sluggish starts in Houston and Atlanta. And we were fortunate that Dallasour 2nd marketwas also where our group lived. Having the entire team in-market to support stores, hire, and make sure culture was big.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Top Advantages of Restaurant Expansion in 2026

Individuals frequently ignore how critical team is to scaling. How have you approached structure and scaling your team? This is something I'm actually happy with. Our team took all the things we hated from past jobsfeeling underappreciated, underpaid, growth-stifledand built the opposite culture here. We emphasize growth state of mind and career pathing.