Corner Booth Podcast

Episode 122: Billy Downs with Ford's Garage

Billy Downs learned the meaning of hospitality from his grandmother. “With 30 grandchildren, Grandma Betty was always ready to entertain,” he recalls, adding, “She was welcoming and appreciative of the chance to serve others.”

Downs began his career in foodservice as a teen serving ice cream before working his way into the kitchen and front of the house positions.  After graduating from Michigan State University, Downs managed casual theme restaurants. He later moved overseas to gain experience in U.K. pubs, including the Prince of Wales Free House, a 200-year-old establishment. There, he met Matthew Kirby, who partnered with Downs to operate three London Mongolian barbecue restaurants. Downs returned to Michigan, where he created BD's Mongolian barbecue and grew it to 12 units before selling the concept to a New York investment group.

"It was 2015 when I found Ford's Garage,” says Downs. “They had three units at the time and I really connected with the feel, the design, the music and of course the story celebrating the history of the Ford Motor Company."

In 2015, Downs became a franchisee operator of Ford's Garage in Fort Myers, Florida. His 4,400 sq. ft. location appealed to a broad demographic.

Downs retraces his journey to present role as president of Ford’s Garage. Today, there are 32 Ford’s Garage restaurants located in Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. The concept design hearkens prohibition-era service stations. The units are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, offer 30 or more craft beers, and seat from 200 to 260 guests.

Downs believes that combining good quality food and friendly service with a unique atmosphere creates an energy that equals value for today's guests. "The casual dining segment is shrinking,” he says. “It is more important than ever to excel. We cannot be satisfied with being busy unless we are successful at creating a guest experience that bonds them with our brand."

Episode 121: Dan Sidner with Black Shoe Hospitality

A Cornell University School of Hotel Administration graduate, Dan Sidner worked in country clubs, mastering the art of service and enology before leaving to spend a few years working throughout France. Upon his return to the U.S., Sidner entered the independent restaurant market segment, working in fine-dining concepts in North Carolina and Colorado, where for six years he owned and operated his first restaurant, Zino Ristorante, in Vail Valley. He later moved to Wisconsin to raise his family and in May 2007, along with chef-partner Joe Muench, opened Maxie's restaurant.

"Maxie's is dedicated to friendly hospitality specializing in Southern Classics," says Sidner.  "Joe and I love the creation part of this business and decided early on to create concepts we love and would always want to dine at."

While operating their dinner-only concept, Dan noticed a location eight blocks away from Maxie's and thought it would be a perfect space for them to expand into the growing breakfast-brunch niche. This led to the launch of Blue's Egg in 2010. They quickly realized the breakfast, lunch, and bakery concept could be a multiunit business. However, rather than expansion, Sidner created a new concept in 2014 when he opened Story Hill BKC.

Sidner shares his tips on operating multiple concepts, the importance of systems and procedures, as well as team building and ongoing management development. "We prioritize our people at each restaurant by cross-training staff, promoting from within and providing a larger management team in order for them to maintain a more balanced lifestyle.”

Sidner believes the future of the restaurant industry might be counter-service and smaller space restaurants rather than the 150- to 200-seat capacity concepts he and his partners currently operate. He also believes expansion isn't necessarily adding more locations, but rather by developing the existing ones. "Restaurants may become the last bastion of personal contact," says Dan. "We have spent a great deal of time broadening our bakery offerings and moving into catering as ways to successfully expand on our brand."

Episode 120: Aaron Anderson with Sunrise Social

Aaron Anderson’s restaurant career began as a five-unit franchisee of The Hot Dog Factory in Philadelphia prior to creating his own concept. "I felt there was a void in the casual breakfast-brunch market segment in the Northeast and decided to jump in with both feet," says Anderson, who was inspired by the success of his two favorite restaurants, Waffle House and Raising Cane's.

He opened the first Sunrise Social unit in 2023. The 2,500 sq. ft. casual full-service concept quickly became successful,  serving chicken and waffles and other breakfast and lunch items.

Sunrise Social operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. Anderson creates variety and value via ingredient cross-utilization. "Simplicity and consistency has always been the objective and continues to be my main concern as we plan our growth," says Anderson.

Anderson explains how he develops the systems leadership for growth. "The recipe for a successful franchise program consists of three main ingredients: the proper selection of franchise partners, a complete initial training program and continued support.”

Despite the current challenges of high occupancy costs, increased opening budgets, and a tight labor market, Anderson is optimistic about continued franchise growth and looks forward to Sunrise Social’s first 24-hour location in late 2025 in Katy, Texas.

Episode 119: Jeff Mauro a Food Network Celebrity Chef

Jeff Mauro's influence on hospitality started at a very young age. "My family always entertained. Our house was the place to be for good food and fun with family and friends."

Mauro graduated from Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and worked as a private chef and instructor while pursuing a theater career. His talent for combining cooking with comedy helped him win the seventh season of "Food Network Star" and launched his career as a television personality. Mauro hosted the television show "The Sandwich King" before becoming co-host of the Emmy award-winning show "The Kitchen" with Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, and Geoffrey Zakarian. 

In this episode, Mauro shares his lessons learned through television competition and his early experience operating a neighborhood deli with his cousin. He discusses the principles of proper entertainment from his book "Come on Over", as well as advice on hosting the best backyard barbecue party. He lists his 10 Commandments of Sandwich Creation and explains why his favorite color is “Pastrami”.

Mauro also discusses the challenges facing independent restaurant owner-operators and the opportunities created by consumer demand for quality, convenience, and value. In 2020, he founded Mauro Provisions to share the flavors of Chicago. He, his sister, and other family members are filling orders for sauces, seasonings, meats, and sandwich kits to wannabe "Sandwich Kings" everywhere. Learn more about it at mauroprovisions.com

Episode 118: John Young with Young's Jersey Dairy

John Young is CEO of Young's Jersey Dairy, a 120-acre family-owned and operated Yellow Springs, Ohio, hospitality destination established 156 years ago. As its name suggests, the business began as a dairy in 1869. It added a bakery later. In the 1990s, it expanded to an event destination, with a restaurant, mini golf course, train, batting cage, and carousel. Today, Young's Jersey Dairy hosts events for as many as 5,000 guests.

"We are still best known for our ice cream,” says Young, explaining, “our 35-flavor offerings include seasonal favorites created by family members, including lemon blueberry cheesecake and peppermint chocolate marshmallow."

This family business operates with a team of 13 family members involved in dairy production, management, and marketing. Many guests make their visit to Young's Jersey Dairy a day trip, traveling from Ohio cities Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton.

"We like to think each visitor experiences our triple play, including a sandwich, burger or shake from the family restaurant; ice cream for dessert; and fresh-baked bread or cheese from the retail bakery."  For 15 years, Young's Jersey Dairy has prepared cheese curds. Current annual production is 80,000 lbs.

Young shares a day in the life as CEO of Young's Jersey Dairy. He explains how he overcomes the challenges of a seasonal business and how he models Disney’s approach to staff training that is among the reasons the company has no shortage of job applicants. "We employ 60 people at peak season, so cross-training is an absolute must for us in order for every staff member to feel engaged and provide the friendly guest experience our visitors deserve.”

Episode 117: Bryan Lockwood with Artistry Restaurants

Growing up in Peoria, Bryan Lockwood’s first job in the restaurant business was working with his mother at a diner. Fast forward to his first industry career position as a manager at Bonanza Steakhouse. He enjoyed the work and was promoted to a multi-unit franchise supervisor before becoming a franchise owner-operator in Jacksonville, Ill. 

At 25, Lockwood sold the business and moved to Florida where, in 2003, he and his partners created the Tavistock restaurant development and management group.

Along with other investors, the group purchased 17 restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the following two decades, Lockwood’s company purchased and turned around struggling restaurant concepts and acquired more than 100 restaurants of various brands. "I learned many lessons from this experience, says Lockwood, going on to say, “that included the importance of guests and why listening to them makes you smarter." 

In this episode, he shares his tips on acquisition as well as the concept development process. “People creating a concept today should not fall in love with their own wishes but rather concentrate on the guest. They should build a team that specializes in areas you don't and finance with contingencies and sufficient working capital." 

In 2023, Lockwood created his current restaurant company Artistry to acquire and turn around struggling restaurants and create new concepts. Artistry currently owns and operates award-winning restaurants Boca, The Chapman, Oak and Stone, Shrimp Basket, Hickory Tavern, and the Sandbar on Florida’s Amelia Island.

Lockwood sees today's challenges as more than combating operating costs and the growing competitive landscape. “I see the need to become the employer of choice and maintaining a people culture that begins with the worker-to-manager relationship and from manager to ownership." 

He believes the best restaurants operate like a reverse mullet haircut. In other words, he explains, "put the party out front and run a tight business in the back.”

Episode 116: Troy Hooper with Pepper Lunch

In 2022, Troy Hooper was introduced to the private equity owner of Pepper Lunch. He had assumed they would be discussing a short-term consulting position; however, it became a full-time position as CEO of the global quick-casual brand with hundreds of locations in 15 countries. 

Pepper Lunch is a Teppanyaki concept. Teppanyaki, which is often called hibachi in the U.S., uses an iron griddle to cook food. Pepper Lunch entrees are served on a 500-degree F iron plate. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurants are able to serve 700 guests per day from their 1,700 to 2,000 sq. ft. unit.

Hooper leaned initially on his experience in hospitality development as he created his strategy.  “We quickly developed two priorities,” says Hooper, explaining, “the Asia team focused on a centralized operations center and updating the program, while the US team focused on growth.”

At this writing, there are 534 Pepper Lunch units operating worldwide. U.S. expansion is centered around franchise growth in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, and Utah. Hooper estimates that at the current rate, the concept could double its units within 10 years. 

Hooper believes the secret to the concept’s success is in the simplicity. "Guests order at a kiosk or the counter, their entree, along with rice and vegetables, is delivered to the table within 6 to 7 minutes.”

The units operate with four to six team members who are cross-trained at prep, cooking, and delivering. An emphasis on guest service provides an additional point of difference. Currently, less than 10% of sales are to-go pick-up orders, but Hooper expects that to reach 20% as the business grows.

Says Hooper, “The win isn't in the speed of growth or the amount of units, but in the ongoing support to build revenue and improve unit operations."

Episode 115: Shahpour Nejad with Pizza Guys

While in college studying mechanical engineering in the ‘80s, Shahpour Nejad worked part-time making and delivering pizzas. "It stuck with me. I am still loving the pizza business."  

After moving from Cleveland to Sacramento, Nejad opened the very first Pizza Guys in 1986. "What a learning experience,” he says, adding, “We had 65 seats and offered a pretty extensive menu featuring a lunch buffet. We became much smarter opening our second location at a 1,200 square-foot counter-service, take-out and delivery-only concept.”

The concept’s second unit was a prototype for expansion. Currently, there are eight company-owned units operating in the Sacramento metro. There are five franchises with seven more scheduled to open by the end of 2025.

Nejad felt Pizza Guys was ready to franchise once the concept had:

1. Successfully operated multiple units and maintained proper profit margins.
2. Established systems and procedures.
3. Developed a franchisee profile that aligned with the company culture.
4. Was able to offer franchisees direction and support.

“It's important to determine your niche in the marketplace,” says Nejad. “The pizza customer seems to be driven by either price, or quality and variety. We chose the second option and have been very happy with the creativity it has allowed us.”

Pizza Guys offers more than 30 specialty pizzas and four homemade sauces on thin, thick, and New York style crusts. Locations are permitted some flexibility with menu offerings, limited-time promotions, and community marketing. Adds Nejad, "What I like most about what I do is working with managers and franchisees to build their units' business."

Episode 114: George McLaughlin with Vicious Biscuit

George McLaughlin had been a successful McAlister's Deli franchisee prior to selling his interest in 2007. "Being out of the business was tough on me," he recalls. "I really missed the guest interaction and working with the staff.”

So, 10 years later, McLaughlin opened his first Vicious Biscuit unit in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the counter-service breakfast and brunch concept offers fresh-baked "plate-sized" biscuits, sandwiches, and bowls.

McLaughlin explains the importance of a concept's "points of difference". At Vicious Biscuit, they include a self-service jam and jelly bar and “touch-point” system of service.

Vicious Biscuit staff are trained to execute five steps of guest service, including greeting and taking the guest’s order, suggestive selling, meal delivery and pre-bussing, and a sincere “thank you”.  They are cross-trained in various roles and they all share in the tip pool.

Expansion of the concept has been steady since 2019 with nine locations operating in the Carolinas, Florida, Louisiana, and Ohio. "Growth through franchising has become our preferred choice, says McLaughlin, adding, “our Vicious Benefits program of good work-life balance, relative ease of operation, proper investment to sales ratio, and excellent support system is really attractive to potential franchisees."

Four new franchised locations are scheduled to open within the next year. Selecting the right franchisees remains a top priority for McLaughlin. "Having a well-developed qualification process is essential in order to be certain we select brand ambassadors that fit our culture and commitment to service and community,” he explains.

On average, it takes 18 months to open a new Vicious Biscuit location. However, growth has been slowed recently by real estate market challenges. Nevertheless, says McLaughlin, selecting the right place and choosing the right people is much more important than unit count to the concept’s success.

Episode 113: Jose Salazar with Safi Wine Bar, Salazars, & more

Award-winning Chef Jose Salazar was born in Colombia and raised in Queens, New York. His career includes working with Jean George Vongerichten, Thomas Keller, and other culinary luminaries. In 2008, he and his family moved to Cincinnati, where he now operates four successful concepts, including Salazar, Safi Wine Bar, Mita's, and Daylily.

"I found Cincinnati to be a big, small town, where word of mouth drives the success or failure of your restaurant,” says Salazar. “We were fortunate to develop a good following and are grateful for the success this community has provided." 

Salazar is also thankful for the chance meeting with a customer many years ago, who became an investor in the business and led to a wonderful partnership. "I knew the kitchen very well but wasn't aware of the financial and business aspects of restaurants," he says.

Salazar shares his experience with developing unique concepts, building a group of talented team members, and learning to operate a successful restaurant business. “It's no secret that this is a people business, and I learned it's best to trust your people but put your faith in your systems." He found that developing standard operating procedures is required for his team to operate consistently.

Salazar is committed to following the steps that made his restaurants successful. This includes fostering strong purveyor relationships to secure the finest local ingredients, offering a fresh seasonal menu, and providing guests with personal attention from his well-trained service staff. As Salazar says, "The basics of the service business have never been more important than they are today.”