Empires

Andrea Huerta has been operating franchises since she was a teenager, starting as a crew member in her parents McDonald’s location. After helping her family grow a portfolio of El Pollo Loco locations, Andrea decided to go all in on Handel’s Ice Cream. Handel’s might just be the top ice cream business in America on a per unit basis, and Andrea shares everything there is to know about this concept,...

Harsh Ghai is one of the largest Burger King franchise owners in America. He's also one of, if not the, largest family owned franchisee with over 250 locations across Burger King, Taco Bell, & Popeye's. We discuss the Burger King comeback, as well his lessons operating over multiple decades....OPEN NEW LOCATIONS IN WEEKS WITH CLOUDKITCHENS: https://l.cloudkitchens.com/empiresBUY OR SELL FRANCHISES...

Jay Rushin, owner of H&H Bagels, joins the podcast to break down the rise of the bagel category, why H&H has taken a different path from venture-backed competitors, and how the brand is scaling its New York bagel model through franchising. He shares the story behind acquiring H&H, rebuilding the business, launching breakfast sandwiches, building a Queens production facility, and creating a franchi...

Bill Mathis worked for Subway starting in 1992, and eventually became a franchise owner in 2001. He's owned as many as 4 stores, and gives us an inside look at the brand over the past few decades. We dive into everything and everything, including the impact of the $5 footlong promo, the sandwich wars with Quiznos, what Fred DeLuca was like, and how the transition under Roark Capital has been. FOR...

Prince Street Pizza went from a single NYC slice shop to one of the most viral pizza brands in America. In this episode, Prince Street Pizza CEO & co-owner Lawrence Longo breaks down how the brand exploded through Instagram, celebrity co-signs, and its iconic Spicy Spring slice. He’s now leading the brand's expansion across the U.S. with a highly selective franchising strategy. JOIN OUR WEEKLY NEW...

Kavrin McGuire operates 25 Jersey Mike’s locations alongside his father and brother. In this conversation, we break down:• How Jersey Mike’s maintains product quality at scale• What it’s actually like operating a high-volume sandwich business• Why Peter Cancro built such intense loyalty among franchisees• The truth about the Blackstone acquisition rumors• How Kavrin’s family scaled through acquisi...

Joe Pedatella is scaling one of the fastest-growing KidStrong empires in the country: * 16 locations open * 60+ in development * And a goal of 100 long term In this episode, he breaks down how he pre-sold 700 members before opening, built a culture that scales, and turned one gym into a multi-unit machine that is only just starting to hit it’s stride. Considering buying a franchise? www.empirespod...

Area 2 Farms, a venture backed start up, is trying to bring (vertical) farms into every town across America. They've learned from past mistakes of other vertical farm startups, and have changed the model, which they are now franchising... Considering buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchiseSubscribe to our weekly newsletter: https://empirespod.substack.com/For multi-unit fran...

Nothing Bundt Cakes was recently acquired for $2 billion dollars. Founded in 1997, the brand has quietly built one of the greatest franchises of all time. I explore how they did it, and what their unique X-factor is that has created such consistent success…. Listen to the full conversation with Nick (coming out next week): https://www.youtube.com/@EmpiresPod Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: Cons...

Brandon Hurst went from - in his own words - “a broke college student” working overnight shifts, to becoming one of the top-performing Chick-fil-A operators in the country, now running multiple locations that generate tens of millions in revenue. In this conversation, Brandon breaks down the real Chick-fil-A business model, why the $10K buy-in is misunderstood, and how profit-sharing actually work...

Orhan Veli’s story sounds like a movie. At age 6, he watched the Soviet Union collapse overnight: chaos, violence, and uncertainty took over. His family fled with nothing. Within months, his father built a small business…until the mafia burned it down and demanded payment. They eventually escaped to the United States with just $25,000. From there: Roofing jobs in Florida Delivering pizzas Living i...

Get in Touch Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise     Are you a multi-unit owner considering selling your business? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/      📝 Episode Description  Wingstop started as a tiny wing shop in Dallas in 1994. Today, it’s a $5+ billion global franchise empire with over 3,000 locations, and one of the most profitable unit economic model...

Get in Touch Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise     Are you a multi-unit owner considering selling your business? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/     Get in touch with Darren: https://110-ventures.com/   https://leapbrands.io/   📝 Episode Description  Darren Spicer started as a barista at Dutch Bros. Years later, after the company shut down its franchise...

Get in Touch   Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise   Considering selling your franchise locations? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/     Description In 2016, Jon left a secure family business to invest in a then-emerging boutique fitness concept: Club Pilates. Less than a decade later, he owns 48 studios across three states and recently partnered with private...

Get in Contact For multi-unit owners looking to sell their business: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/     Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise   Description  Today, Indian Americans own over 60% of hotels and motels in the United States. Most of them trace back to one region in India: Gujarat. But this didn’t happen by accident. It began in the 1930s with Kan...

Get in Touch   Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise   Are you a multi-unit franchise owner considering selling your business? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/     Partnership Opportunities https://www.empirespod.com/about#about-footer   🧠 Episode Description  Frozen yogurt was written off as a dead category. Neil Hershman didn’t buy that. After leaving finan...

In this episode, Cliff Kennedy, CEO of Frios Gourmet Pops, shares how he went from being a franchisee to acquiring the entire brand, rebuilding the company from the ground up, and transforming it into a mobile-first dessert empire Interested in We unpack: Why Frios’ product was great, but the company was broken How COVID forced a shift from brick-and-mortar to mobile trucks The economics of a mobi...

Get in Contact For multi-unit owners looking to sell their business: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/     Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise     Get in touch with the host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-buckley-%F0%9F%8C%AD-89539499/     Get in touch with Jack and Jake:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-foster-098030a8/     https://www.linkedin.com/in...

Raj Patel is one of the most prolific franchise operators in the country. His family started with one Dunkin’ in the late 1980s — today, Raj oversees a 100+ unit portfolio across Dunkin’, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and several other brands. In this episode, we go deep into: How Raj decides which brands to bet on Why leadership matters more than food What it’s really like to scale from 1 store to 100+ How...

Most people think private equity “kills” franchise brands. But in this episode, Adam Lewin — CEO of Wonder, a holding company for franchisors and multi-site operators — explains why the truth is far more nuanced. Adam breaks down: How Wonder evaluates franchise acquisitions Why they refuse the typical “platform” roll-up model What emerging franchisors get wrong Why franchise hype cycles (Dave’s Ho...

Are you a multi-unit franchisee looking to sell your locations? https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/     Are you interested in buying a top new restaurant franchise? https://eatagape.com/franchise/   Keni’s story begins in 1982, when his family immigrated to the U.S. with nothing but visas and a network of distant relatives. Like many Patels from Gujarat, his family moved directly into a relative’s mot...

Agapé Restaurants: eatagape.com Franchise Info: eatagape.com/franchise Matt started as a Subway employee at 13 — and by his twenties, he owned 12 locations. From there, he expanded into Cinnabon, Dunkin’, and Wingstop, learning hard lessons about unit economics, scaling challenges, and why some brands hit ceilings while others explode. Today, Matt is the co-founder of Agapé, a fast-casual Mediterr...

Connect with FranDawgs Agape franchise opportunity: https://eatagape.com/franchise/ Buy a franchise: https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise Sell your franchise: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/ YouTube: FranDawgs Podcast LinkedIn: Patrick Buckley   Episode Summary At just 28, Nico Verano walked out of a private equity job and into the heat—literally. After hearing SweatHouz founder Jamie Weeks p...

Chris Hatch, founder of Dirt Dogs and Forza Commercial, breaks down the business of owning the land beneath America’s top franchises. From Dutch Bros and Raising Cane’s to the dirty soda craze, Chris explains how site selection, drive-thru culture, and brand “soul” shape billion-dollar outcomes. A masterclass on franchising, real estate, and what makes a location truly win.   Interested in Agape?...

Austin Smith started his career helping build Savory Fund into a powerhouse that scaled concepts like Swig, Mo’Bettahs, and R&R Barbecue. After years of investing in food & beverage, he made the leap from investor to operator — taking a massive bet on Big Blue Swim School. Considering buying a franchise? Reach out: https://www.frandawgs.com/   If you’re a multi-unit owner considering selli...