Strategic Expansion Targets for 2026

And we likewise have Clinton Anderson, the CEO of Fourth, who will be moderating the discussion with Jason. Jason, how about I let you provide the audience some details about your background and you can also tell them a little bit about Chop Shop.

Thanks Christina. My name is Jason Morgan, CEO of Original Chop Store. I have actually been doing this for about 9 years now. We purchased the brand name in 2016three unitsand I have actually grown it to 26. Prior to this, I've invested many of my profession in hospitality in some shape or kind. After a brief stint of attempting to be an accounting professional for about a year and a half, I transitioned into casino home and worked in business finance.

I was the very first worker there after personal equity purchased business. Assisted grow that from 20 to 150 locations, took it public in 2014, and then left about a year and a half after going public to do this at Chop Shop. My hope is that we can replicate the success we had at Zos, and we're off to a really great start.

We're at the counter, we bring the food to the table. The secret to the program is we have a drink part as well with fresh-squeezed juices and protein shakes.

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A little more complicated than a few of the walk-the-line principles that are out there, but we think we've got something pretty unique. We're going to include another store this year and a minimum of four shops next year. We will be 31 or so shops by the end of next year.

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I have actually been in this function for about 6 years. 4th, as numerous of you understand, is a leading company of software options to the dining establishment and hospitality industry. Our objective is to assist our clients be effective in driving success and being efficientmanaging labor, managing inventory, and essentially offering them with tools they need to provide their vision.

It's unusual to have business that are beloved and growing rapidly, that can repeat that success year after year. Jason, among the reasons I was so thrilled to have you join our session is the success at Zos was incredible. I've just met a handful of brands where there was such a strong customer affinity for the brand.

And now you're doing the very same thing at Chop Store. When you speak to consumers about Chop Store, they love the location. They discuss its differentiation. And to be able to take what is a relatively complex concept in regards to providing an excellent experience for the client, and be able to grow that from a few stores to now north of 30 shops next yearit's fantastic.

We're going to talk about how to scale a dining establishment company. Every restaurateur I ever talk with has dreams of taking one shop, 2 stores, five shops, and turning it into something much biggerexpanding throughout the city, throughout the state, into numerous states, and eventually national, even worldwide reach. It's not simple, especially in today's environment.

It's not a simple time to drive success and development at the exact same time. How do you scale it and make it successful? Second, beyond innovation, how do you scale great groups?

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The very first concern I have for you, Jasonlook, you've done this two times now in the restaurant market. What are a few of the lessons you've discovered? What has your experience been in terms of what it takes to actually drive success in broadening dining establishments? Tell me a little about your path, what you experienced along the way, and maybe a few of the more difficult lessons you discovered.

We talked a bit before we began about LinkedIn, and I've got a post teed as much as follow this next week about what the playbook is likepoint by pointfor growing a business. To me, among the essential things, and I feel extremely fortunate, is that both brands I have actually been included with are distinct.

And there's absolutely nothing precisely like Chop Store in terms of what we're doing with a large, varied menu. The majority of brand names today are really singularly focused in regards to what they're offering from a foodstuff. I feel like we began at an advantage with both brand names by having something unique that filled a specific niche nobody else was doing.

Since it's just harder to stand apart when there are 10, 20, 50 ideas within a two- or three-mile radius attempting to do the precise same thing. So a great deal of it starts with the brand name. Does your brand name have something unique that no one else is doing? That's unusual.

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The 2nd thingI came from a finance background, so a lot of my knowings are more finance and data-driven versus a lot of early startup restaurateurs who are innovative types. They like the food, they developed the menu, they built the brand.

They don't know their breakeven sales. They do not comprehend how margin enhances as sales increase. I have actually seen so numerous companies where the numbers just don't work.

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If you do not have those two things, you should not be developing stores. Because as I hear your description, you have actually highlighted 3 things: execution, brand differentiation, and financial practicality.

Analyzing Investment ROI Against Market Trends

Second, you require an engaging brand or special concept that resonates with clients. And another crucial lesson is about entering new markets.

When we broadened to Dallas, I anticipated new stores to do 5070% of Phoenix sales in the first year. Too lots of operators presume new markets will open at full volume day one.